The Goshinboku Hotel & Suites
by goshinote
Summary: Kagome Higurashi, Assistant Manager of the Goshinboku Hotel & Suites, lives a pleasant, yet mundane life as an employee and resident of the hotel. When a snarky, silver-haired man enters the hotel and joins the staff for the long haul, she finds that things are about to get a little more interesting…InuKag.
1. Going Up

Hi, guys! Here's a little something I came up with about two months when I was traveling home from vacation. Walking around a hotel at 11pm can give a girl some really good inspiration for a story…

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 1: Going Up

Trying to keep herself from falling asleep right then and there, the young woman smiled at the middle-aged man on the other side of the elevator.

"What floor, sir?" she asked politely.

Kagome's shift had already ended, but her manners refused to leave her; she felt like she was always on-duty.

The man smiled at Kagome. "Second, please," he replied.

A moment later, the elevator dinged and the man got off.

"Have a pleasant night," Kagome said.

"Thank you," the man replied.

When the doors closed and Kagome was left alone, she sighed and leaned against the wall of the elevator. It had been a long shift, full of several unhappy guests and a kid breaking their arm in the pool.

Despite the seemingly constant exhaustion Kagome had at her job in the hotel, she truly loved it.

She had a good set-up, too. The manager of the hotel, Myoga, had hired her three years ago after her first interview.

Kagome began the job as a full-time cleaning lady to put herself through her first year of university. At first it was just going to be a summer job to save up for university, but then when the school year came around, Kagome's boss asked if she would consider keeping a part-time job because she was so well-liked by the other employees and nearly every single guest.

When offered a promotion for Assistant Manager a year-and-a-half later, Kagome decided to take it. She lowered her college workload to just a few online classes part-time for a Business degree, but her main focus was her love for her job at the Goshinboku Hotel & Suites.

The best part was she lived in one of the medium-sized suites in the hotel. She had her own small kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living area. It wasn't too shabby of a place to live, and she never had to worry about being late to work.

As she finally got off the elevator and made her way to her suite, Kagome sighed contentedly. She loved her calm and rather simple life.

Until a certain man checked in and decided to ruin it.

To be continued...

Chapter 2 will be up soon, so keep an eye out!

Much love. :)


	2. Going Down

Oh my gosh…I didn't think I would have this much fun writing this story…

 **Edited 1/14/2020**

Also of course I forgot the disclaimer on Chapter 1. My bad.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 2: Going Down

At the sound of her five-fifteen alarm going off, Kagome groaned. She hit the snooze button and rolled over in bed. She had to clock in for her shift in exactly forty-three minutes, but all she wanted to do was go back to sleep.

She and her best friend, Sango, had celebrated Sango's birthday the night before, so Kagome was really feeling the effects of too much cake and ice cream being eaten at an inappropriately late time of night.

Tossing the covers off and stretching, Kagome yawned and got out of bed. Her first stop was the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth before getting dressed and coming out to her small kitchen.

With a pot of tea boiling on the stove, she glanced at the clock. Upon seeing that it was five-forty-five, Kagome sighed.

 _Note to self,_ she thought. _No more celebrating birthdays on Friday nights when I_ know _I have to work on Saturday morning._

Sango had just turned twenty-one, and Kagome herself would turn the same age in a mere three weeks. She and Sango had been friends since they were five, so they would often have joint birthday parties as children. Now they celebrate separately so they had a reason to buy two cakes. They were just smart like that…and rather sugar-obsessed.

Kagome put her tea in a to-go mug and put on her shoes. She grabbed her room key before she closed the front door behind her and began to head downstairs.

As she clocked in at exactly five-fifty-eight like always, she put her small bag in her designated cubby in the staff room and headed to the front desk to find Myoga.

Upon finding him, Kagome smiled. "Good morning," Kagome said as she greeted him. Myoga smiled back at her.

"Good morning, Kagome," he replied. "How was Sango's celebration?" Kagome nearly grimaced at the mention; she hadn't quite shaken her initial morning exhaustion.

"It was a lot of fun," she said. "We had a great time." Myoga smiled again as he began to set out the room keys for the people whom would be checking in that day.

"You're next for a birthday," he replied. "How many jokes has Sango made about being 'a year older than you?'" Kagome laughed.

"Too many already," she admitted. "But it won't be for too long. We'll even out in a few weeks and then we'll be the same again." Myoga chuckled.

"You girls are too much," he teased. Kagome laughed again and peered at the room keys he'd laid out.

"Am I running the desk today?" she asked.

Myoga typically had her do a different job every day. Sometimes it was cleaning, running the desk, helping in the kitchen, or other odd jobs that she knew like the back of her hand.

"Yes," he replied. "Then after your lunch break you'll be cleaning the newly-vacated rooms. Also, I mentioned last week that I hired someone new for some odds and ends work around here. Could you give our new employee a tour after you've finished cleaning?" Kagome nodded.

"Absolutely," she replied. "Now go get some rest." Myoga mock-saluted.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I'm going to kick off the end of my last night shift for the next month with a solid night's rest…or day's rest, I suppose." Kagome laughed.

"Then poor Miroku is going to be stuck with that shift, right?" she joked. Myoga rolled his eyes.

"He can handle it," he replied. "The women guests need a break from his constant flirting. Sometimes I wonder why I hired him in the first place." Kagome held back a giggle.

"Because he does a good job with our finances…remember?" she reminded, feigning seriousness. Myoga chuckled.

"Oh, that's right," he chimed in. After laying the rest of the room keys out, Myoga ran a hand through his thinning hair.

"I'm off to bed," he announced. "Good luck here. I'll be back around three to check on things." Kagome nodded.

"Good night," she replied. With a wave, Myoga was off to his own suite. One of the perks of the managerial positions was being able to live in a suite within the hotel. It wasn't required, but it was offered. It was one of Kagome's favorite parts about working at Goshinboku. It felt like she was always on vacation.

That is, until someone arrived and pretty much ruined it all.

Needless to say, she wasn't expecting a bad check-in after the successful morning she'd had.

But, of course, you can't predict the future.

Kagome was checking in her third to last guest of the morning when she heard a loud groan from the back of the line.

Glancing up from the computer, she saw a man with long silver hair frowning at her. His golden eyes glared at her, shocking her into a quick pause.

"Miss?" said the guest Kagome was currently checking in. She looked concerned. "Are you alright?" Kagome broke away from the man's gaze and turned back to the guest.

"Yes, yes," she replied quickly. "I'm sorry. You're in room 227." The guest smiled.

"Thank you," she said. Kagome nodded and motioned for the next guest to approach the desk.

Before she could greet her, she heard the man from the back of the line groan again.

Kagome glanced up and frowned right back when she saw the impatient expression on his face.

Usually she was pretty good at dealing with rude guests, but for some reason, this one was really testing her patience.

"Do you need a glass of water, sir?" she asked in the politest tone of voice she had. The man frowned again.

"No," he replied gruffly. "I need you to do your job so I can check in. I've been waiting for fifteen minutes." Kagome willed herself to be calm.

"I apologize, sir," she said. "We have had a busy morning, but I'll be with you shortly." The man scoffed, but remained silent.

The guest currently checking in looked sympathetic. "I am so sorry you have to deal with people like that," she whispered. Kagome smiled.

"I've worked here for a long time," she replied. "It doesn't bother me too much anymore." The woman scoffed.

"I could never have the patience for that," she whispered. "Good on you." Kagome laughed.

"Enjoy your stay," she said as she completed the check-in process.

The man with the silver hair stepped up, his seemingly ever-present frown still on his face.

"Do you normally take this long to get your guests checked in?" he asked. Kagome smiled politely.

"I will do my best to get you checked in as quickly as possible," she replied, allowing just the smallest bit of sarcasm to leak out of her voice.

Seriously though…this guy deserved it.

To her surprise, the guy smirked. "Impatient, are we?" he asked. "Welcome to the last fifteen minutes of my life." Kagome's patient smile disappeared, a frown appearing instead.

"You're in room number 304," she replied curtly as she handed him the room key. She hid a grimace at the fact that it was the same floor in which she lived. "Enjoy your stay." The man took the key from her and slipped it in his pocket.

"Thanks," he replied, his voice lacking in sincerity.

Kagome found herself in a rather sour mood until her lunch break. She knew she would feel better once she started cleaning the rooms. That tended to help her whenever she was in a bad mood, which she had to admit wasn't too often.

But that guy…he had stomped all over her last nerve.

Begrudgingly, she went up to her suite to cook something to eat.

After a nice meal, Kagome felt better. She headed downstairs to clock back in and check the list of rooms that needed to be cleaned that afternoon.

Several hours later, Kagome was finished cleaning and went back to her room to take a quick shower. Although she enjoyed cleaning, she had worked up quite a sweat and just had an overall sense of _other people_ germs on her.

Thirty minutes later, Kagome was showered and exhausted. Before she could crawl into bed to go straight to sleep, she remembered that Myoga had wanted her to meet the new employee.

Groaning, she got up and changed out of her pajamas. She wanted to crawl into bed and just sleep, but instead she went back downstairs to find Myoga so she could meet the new employee.

As Kagome rode the elevator down, she wondered what the new employee would be like. She hoped it would be another woman…she was currently surrounded by mostly men at this job. She would definitely like a woman to talk to about the handsome guests…oops, did she really just think that?

Excitement filling her at that admittedly very small possibility, Kagome only smiled and made her way to the employee lounge.

At the sight of Myoga, she smiled again.

That is, until she saw the man with whom Myoga was speaking.

A familiar man with long silver hair.

Who was now wearing a hotel uniform.

Kagome combusted internally. "Ah, there's our Assistant Manager." Myoga said when he caught sight of her. "Kagome, please come meet our new employee!" Throwing on the fakest smile she could muster, Kagome walked over and bowed her head slightly.

"Hello," she greeted the rude man. "I'm Kagome. It's a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to working with you." She half-expected the man to say something rude to her or bring up their encounter earlier, but he only smirked.

"I'm Inuyasha," he replied. "Likewise." Eyes widening at his nonchalance considering the heated exchange they'd had that morning, she tried to stuff down her bitter irritation. Luckily, Myoga began talking again.

"Since you're Assistant Manager," Myoga began, turning back to Kagome, "I would like for you to show Inuyasha the ropes for the next week or so. He will be shadowing you at the different positions until he gets used to the place."

 _And so it gets better…_

"Great," Kagome replied politely. "I'd be happy to do so." Myoga smiled proudly.

"Kagome has been here for several years," he explained to Inuyasha. "She knows this place as well as I do and I've worked here for forty-five years." Kagome laughed genuinely at that.

"No one could ever know the Goshinboku like you do, Myoga" Kagome chided lightly. "You give me too much credit." Myoga shrugged, feigning modesty.

"I suppose you're right," he replied, gusto leaking in his voice. "I'm very seasoned…it takes many years to get that way."

To Kagome's surprise, even the new employee cracked a grin at Myoga. She knew that the manager could be difficult at time; occasionally he had moments where it seemed like his head was somewhere else or he had the attention span of a flea. But for the majority of the time, he was great.

"Okay," Kagome said to Inuyasha. "Let's go." Inuyasha gave a quick wave to Miroku before he and Kagome left the reception desk out the back of it. They had to first go through the employee area then out its door.

Deciding to give another go at being friendly, Kagome turned to Inuyasha as they walked.

"So you were checking in yesterday morning," she began, her voice taking on a kind tone. "Did Myoga offer to let you live here?" Inuyasha glanced at her.

"You know," he replied, "I pegged you as someone big on small talk, but I figured you would just give me the silent treatment. I'm devastatingly surprised." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"We're co-workers now," she explained. "I have to at least _pretend_ that I can stand to be around you." Inuyasha chuckled.

"Well, you're doing an amazing job at it," he replied sarcastically. Kagome seethed internally as they continued walking. It was silent until they reached their destination.

"Here's the lobby, which you've already seen," she explained as they walked through the hotel. "There's the reception desk, this floor's common area, and the guest kitchen. There's also a pool, a sauna, and a gym." Inuyasha seemed surprised.

"Wow," he replied. "Big hotel." Kagome nodded.

"We have ten floors," she continued. "Our prices are expensive, but that's because we're a five-star hotel. We're usually at ninety-four percent capacity, our customer satisfaction rate is an impressive ninety-eight-percent and we've never gotten below a ninety-six on our health inspections." Inuyasha looked around the common area.

"Lot of nineties," he replied. Kagome led him around to the rest of the areas open to the guests, and when that was done, she began to fill him in on the more interesting aspects of the hotel.

"For the employees, there's a whole other set of hallways," she began. "Since the hotel is so big, we have secret shortcuts that get us from different areas to others more quickly." She motioned to the hallway that led to the pool.

"Right now, we're back in the common area," she explained. "If we used the guest hallway, it's about a one-minute walk to the pool." She led him over to a door that's usually just assumed to be some sort of custodian closet. Whipping out her room key, which would open the door solely because it belonged to a member of the staff, she unlocked the door and led Inuyasha inside.

"This is the employee hallway," she said as she stepped aside so he could see. "It takes exactly fifteen seconds to get to the pool from here because it's a straight-shot instead of the turns we would have had to take in the guest hallway." Inuyasha seemed genuinely impressed.

"Wow," he replied. "Seems like it might be easy to get lost." Kagome shrugged.

"There's one of these hallways on each floor," she explained. The doors that lead to the guest hallway are labeled." She motioned to the door they'd just approached.

 _Pool,_ it read.

Opening the door, Kagome stepped out and showed Inuyasha that they'd just ended up in a door five feet away from the pool.

"Okay, that's pretty cool," Inuyasha admitted. Kagome smiled at him. For once, it was sincere.

"Yeah, it's a great place," she replied. "Once you've gotten accustomed to everything, you'll be able to get around with no trouble at all." Inuyasha nodded.

"How long do you think that'll take?" he asked. Kagome thought for a moment.

"It honestly all depends on how quickly you get used to navigating the guest hallways," she explained. "For some employees, it'll take a week. For others, two weeks. We've even had a few people take about a month to get completely used to just getting around the normal hallways." Inuyasha chuckled.

"Wow," he commented. "How long did it take you to get used to things?" Kagome paused to think.

"I could get around everywhere after three days," she replied. "It took me a few more days to get used to the employee hallways." Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"Fast learner?" he assumed. Kagome shrugged.

"It's honestly not a hard place to learn," she admitted. "It's just very big, which can scare people sometimes. Miroku, our finance guy, is one of the ones that took about a month to get completely used to this place. Then again, he was distracted by all the women he was flirting with around the hotel." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"He seems like a pain," he grumbled. Kagome laughed.

"He's harmless," she replied. "Mostly." That brought a grin to Inuyasha's lips.

"What about the other employees?" he asked. "Are they tolerable?" Kagome thought for a moment.

"For the most part," she replied. "We have a lot of other staff members. There are a lot in the kitchen, a lot of other cleaning people, and we have some tech people, too. Miroku runs the finances by himself, so he's usually busy. Myoga oversees everything, so he's pretty much the eyes and ears of this place. Myoga said you're our odds-and-ends guy, so you'll pretty much be involved in a little bit of everything."

Kagome beckoned Inuyasha to follow her. "Now let's head to the second floor. I'll show you the employee hallways on each level."

With Kagome leading the way, they continued the tour.

A few hours later, Kagome had toured Inuyasha through the rest of the floors and they'd gone through every employee hallway. When they were done with that, they had, to Kagome's mild embarrassment, played a few rounds of hide-and-seek.

She's normally the epitome of professionalism, really.

When they'd finished, it was nearing midnight.

"Well, that's pretty much it," Kagome said, almost disappointed that the night was ending. "There's not much left to show you." Inuyasha smirked.

"You could show me…your room," he suggested flirtatiously. Kagome's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"Uh," she replied. Inuyasha laughed.

"I'm kidding," he said. "My girlfriend would be horrified that I made that joke, but the look on your face was totally worth it." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she replied, bypassing the girlfriend comment.

 _Of course he has a girlfriend,_ she thought to herself. _All hot guys have girlfriends._

Wait. Did she really just think that?

"Anyway, I showed you where my suite is when we walked past it so you knew where it was anyway," she reminded him. "Myoga's is across the hall from me because they're the rooms closest to the employee steps that lead to the lobby. You're in 304, which is still pretty close." She peered at him.

"Although I'm curious about why Myoga offered for you to live here," she admitted. "He and I are the only ones that live in the hotel because we're the managers." Inuyasha shrugged.

"I just moved to this city," he explained. "I'm still looking for a place to live, and when I told Myoga that, he offered to let me stay here until I find somewhere else." Kagome smiled. Good old Myoga.

"That makes sense," she said. "Well, good. I hope you enjoyed the tour. This is a really great place to work. I'll show you all the ropes tomorrow." Inuyasha nodded.

"Thanks," he replied. "What time does your shift start? Myoga said I'm with you for the rest of the week." Kagome hesitated. _Here's the good mood killer…_

"We have to be downstairs to clock in at six," she replied. "But I always clock in at five-fifty-eight, which means you'll be doing the same."

Inuyasha just nodded. "Okay," he replied, surprisingly not heaving the sigh Kagome had expected. "I'm heading to bed then. Thanks again. Good night." Kagome gave a wave as they parted ways.

 _At least he's not the total jerk I expected,_ she thought to herself as she walked into her suite. _Seems like he'll be fun to work with._

After she was ready for bed and began to get under the covers, she let her mind drift to the new employee of the Goshinboku Hotel & Suites and the fact that she'd played an actual game here for the first time ever and had laughed more in this one night than what seemed like the last month.

 _Looks like life just got a little more interesting here…_

To be continued…

So what do you guys think so far? Just a warning, this story is complete fluff. No evil villains, no Naraku, and no death threats (spoiler alert: no one dies in this story). Just cupcakes and unicorns here with a hint of potential romantic angst…hmm…;)


	3. Employees Only

Here's Chapter 3, my darlings. Here's an extra-long chapter to try and make up for my absence.

 **Edited 1/14/2020**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 3: Employees Only

Kagome's morning began like any other morning when she had the six a.m. shift.

She got downstairs a little earlier to heat up some quick breakfast croissants for her and Inuyasha for a good first day. Five-fifty-eight came around soon after, so she clocked in. But Inuyasha wasn't there. Irritation crept into her, but she figured since it was his first full day, she should cut him some slack.

Right when the clock-in machine read six, he ran into the room with his key card already out. He quickly swiped it and looked at Kagome somewhat sheepishly.

"I know you said five-fifty-eight," he began breathlessly, "but I'm not used to late nights and early mornings yet. I'm sorry." Kagome bit back a laugh and handed him one of the breakfast croissants.

"It's alright," she assured him. "You don't have to be so formal. It's fine." Inuyasha looked relieved as he took the croissants.

"Thanks for this," he said as he took a bite.

"Let's head to the desk now though," Kagome said. "We're a little behind." Inuyasha nodded and followed her out of the room.

"Okay," he began as they made their way to the desk. "But seriously…five-fifty-eight? Why the extra two minutes?" Kagome shrugged.

"I've just always done it," she explained. "It gives me time to get to the desk and gather myself. The person behind the desk is probably going to be annoyed that we're a little behind, but just apologize like you did to me and it'll be fine." Kagome hoped it wouldn't be someone too bad about newbies.

To Kagome's pleasant surprise, Miroku was behind the desk. She'd forgotten that he'd be running the overnight desk shift from now on. He smirked when he saw the pair.

"Ah, Kagome, Inuyasha," he greeted. "A seasoned master and a rookie. I'm pleased you two were able to make an appearance." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Cut us some slack," she said in lieu of a greeting. Inuyasha frowned.

"It's my fault," he explained. "It won't happen again." Miroku chuckled.

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "You're new. You'll get used to things in time." Inuyasha nodded his gratitude.

"We appreciate it," Kagome replied.

"You know how you can make it up to me?" he said mischievously. Kagome knew it couldn't be good.

"It better not be something perverted," she scolded. Miroku gasped in mock offense.

"You wound me, Kagome," he joked in a feigned sincere voice. "I would say nothing of the sort." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Okay," she conceded. "What do you want?" Miroku grinned.

"I only ask that you bring my dear Sango around in the near future," he requested. "It's been a week since I've seen her and it's really taking a toll on my poor heart." Kagome burst out laughing.

"Fine, fine," she replied. "I'll see if she can come by for lunch sometime soon." Miroku sighed happily.

"I thank you graciously," he said. "I can't bear to be away from her for too long." Kagome laughed again.

"Alright," she replied. "Get out of here and get some rest. I have to teach Inuyasha how to run the desk." Miroku smiled and yawned.

"I'm way ahead of you," he replied. "See you later, Kagome." He nodded at Inuyasha. "Good luck this morning." Inuyasha nodded back.

"Thanks," he said.

After Miroku left, Kagome shook her head. "He's something else," she muttered. Inuyasha looked at her.

"Who is 'my dear Sango?'" he asked. Kagome smiled.

"Sango is my best friend," she replied. "Miroku is in love with her, and don't tell him this, but Sango loves him just as much. Miroku is terribly flirtatious, so Sango doesn't want to go out with him until he gets that under control." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Sounds like a weird situation," he commented. Kagome shrugged.

"They'll get together eventually," she replied. "There are a few more bumps in the road, but they'll get past them." Inuyasha looked like he was going to say something, but a guest came up so they turned their attention to them.

Five hours later, they'd helped what Kagome knew felt like a million guests to Inuyasha, but in actuality was probably only fifty. She'd warned him about the constantly quick pace of the hotel, but she knew actually living it was a completely different experience.

"How are you doing?" she asked Inuyasha as they went to the staff kitchen for their one-hour lunch. Inuyasha took a deep breath.

"This is a really intense place," he admitted. "But it's better than being stagnant and bored all the time. That's how my last job was. It really sucked."

"What was it?" Kagome asked as she went over to the cupboard and began to pull things out.

"I worked in Human Resources for a small paper company," he replied. "I didn't go to college, so that's pretty much the only job I could get." Kagome nodded.

"That's sounds horrifically boring," she commented. Inuyasha shrugged.

"It's where I met my girlfriend," he explained. "So at least one good thing came from it." Kagome nodded again, albeit somewhat uncomfortably at the mention of Inuyasha's girlfriend, as she set a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and jelly on the counter.

"Do you like PBJ sandwiches?" she asked. Inuyasha perked up.

"Yeah," he replied. After his answer, Kagome got to work making the sandwiches.

When she was done, she brought the two plates with their respective sandwiches on them and sat down at the table across from Inuyasha.

"This kitchen is just for the employees," she explained. "So feel free to eat anything in here. Totosai is good about having our food company restock everything each week, so help yourself." Inuyasha took a bite of his sandwich.

When he finished chewing, he nodded. "Great sandwich," he commented. Kagome chuckled and took a bite of her own sandwich.

"So we're done at the desk for today," she said a few minutes later. "We have a list of rooms that we're going to clean now. Usually we have five teams of employees cleaning so that the work is divided. Each team gets two floors to clean. It's not too hard, but it's time-consuming. We'll be cleaning for the rest of the day." Inuyasha grimaced.

"I said it's not _too_ hard," Kagome repeated at the sight of his face. She smiled.

"Sometimes people leave stuff in their rooms," Kagome began, "so when I find them, I imagine what they must be like as people and where they're from or where they're going. That makes the time go by faster." Inuyasha looked intrigued.

"What's the weirdest thing you've ever found?" he asked. Kagome thought for a moment.

"I once found a diary," she replied. "It was full of potential baby names. It must have been from a pregnant woman, so I was always worried that she would be upset by losing it and would come back for it. She never did, but I kept it. It's my nightstand drawer." Inuyasha chuckled.

"That's so random," he commented. Kagome shrugged.

"It was interesting," she defended before smiling. "Now let's go. I'll show you how to clean two rooms and then we'll split off."

"Let's go," Inuyasha replied.

Before they had to the first floor, they grabbed the maid cart and went on their way.

Of course, the first room was a total disaster.

 _This has to be in the top five worst rooms I've ever seen_ , Kagome thought to herself.

"The rooms aren't normally this terrible," Kagome informed as she took in the trash and leftover food. "This is bad…like, really bad." Inuyasha frowned.

"Disgusting," he corrected. "We have to _clean_ this?" Kagome nodded somberly.

"Yeah," she replied as she wheeled the maid cart into the room. "First we'll pick up all the trash and then we'll strip the beds."

Thirty minutes later, they'd picked up all the trash and stripped the beds. It was grueling, and Kagome was already sore.

"Now we steam the beds," she explained as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Can you grab the steamer from the bottom of the cart?" Inuyasha nodded and went to get it.

"I'll steam the first one to show you how it's done," she began, "and then you'll steam the second one so I can make sure you can do it yourself." Inuyasha handed her the steamer so she could begin.

She slowly went over the top of the mattress with the steamer before moving to the bottom of it. When she was done, she handed the steamer to Inuyasha.

"Make sure you go over it slowly," she instructed. "That gets any dust out of the fabric." Inuyasha nodded and began steaming.

While he was steaming the bottom, he suddenly froze. "I found something," he said.

Kagome bent down to see what it was.

"It looks like a fortune from a fortune cookie," she noted. Inuyasha paused.

"There's a Chinese restaurant in this town?" he asked. Kagome nodded.

"Oh, man," Inuyasha said quietly. "That's the best thing ever." Kagome laughed.

"What does the fortune say?" she asked. Inuyasha looked at it and a look of horror soon came onto his face.

"'You will die tonight,'" he read. "Whoa…" Kagome's eyes widened.

"Does it really say that?" she asked. Inuyasha grinned.

"No, I'm kidding," he admitted jovially. "It says, 'Love awaits you in a new experience.'" Kagome glanced at Inuyasha as he burst into laughter.

"How cheesy can you get?" he mocked. Kagome half-chuckled.

"Interesting," she said somewhat awkwardly ( _awkwardly?)_ before standing up. "I've never found a fortune before. Nice one. Now we have to vacuum, wipe everything down, and clean the bathroom."

Cleaning really was a pretty grueling job, but it was mundane, which Kagome liked.

They cleaned one more room before Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"Now we're going to split up," she explained. "You'll do the rest of this half of the floor and I'll do the other half. I'll leave this cart for you and go grab another one for myself." Inuyasha nodded.

"Let's do a competition," he suggested. "Whoever finds the coolest stuff wins." Kagome smiled.

"Okay," she agreed. "What happens if you lose?" Inuyasha thought for a moment.

"Loser has to cook dinner?" he suggested. Kagome laughed.

"You're on," she said. "Let me know when you're finished and then we'll head up to the next floor."

With that, they parted.

Four hours later, they had finished cleaning all the vacant rooms on both floors. They headed back to the staff room to compare their discoveries.

Inuyasha put his stuff in a pile while Kagome laid hers out nicely.

"Let's see," he said. "I found a fountain pen, a necklace, a shoe, a pair of jeans, a bathing suit, and three _Uno_ cards." Kagome laughed.

"A single _shoe_?" she repeated. "That's pretty weird. Mine aren't that funny. I found a phone charger and an empty ring box, so I guess there was a successful marriage proposal. There was also a book, a stuffed animal, a men's shirt, and a pack of diapers." Inuyasha paused in mock-pensiveness.

"I think the shoe is the winner," he said. "Who leaves _one_ shoe somewhere?" Kagome rolled her eyes.

"You're just saying that it won because _you_ found it," she replied. Inuyasha finally chuckled.

"Well it's better than a phone charger," he said. Kagome laughed along with him. "I guess you're right," she replied as she rose from the table to get dinner started. "Macaroni and cheese sound good to you?" Inuyasha nodded enthusiastically.

After they'd finished dinner and went over the basics of what they'd done that day, Kagome yawned and checked the time.

"How is it already eleven-thirty?" she asked. "I'm usually in bed by ten. You're throwing off my groove." Inuyasha rolled his eyes light-heartedly.

"Oh, please," he replied. "If you go to bed that early, obviously you need a little more entertainment in your life.

Kagome shrugged. _Eh…he's not wrong._

"Well, I'm heading to bed," she announced as she got up from the table. "Meet me here at five-fifty- _eight_. No more late mornings." Inuyasha chuckled again.

"Whatever you say, boss lady," he teased. Kagome smiled as she began to walk out of the room. "Good night," she said before she left.

"Night," Inuyasha called back.

As Kagome walked to the elevator, she pondered her day with the silver-haired man.

It was the most fun she'd had in months.

O.o.O.o.O

Impressively enough, Inuyasha was a fast learner. Kagome had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised at his ability to pick up on the routines of the hotel so quickly.

Not only that: she found that despite their rough meeting, they'd become fast friends.

"Morning, lady," he greeted her as he walked into the staff room at exactly five-fifty-eight.

It was his second week at the hotel and he had yet to clock in late. Kagome was impressed, especially since they usually stayed up late talking or playing hide-and-seek throughout the hotel.

Yes, two grown adults stayed up late playing games.

They're professionals, really.

"Good morning," Kagome replied, going along with his usual nicknames for her. That had been a rather random advancement in their friendship. Inuyasha had walked in one day about a week-and-a-half after he'd started at the hotel and greeted Kagome as "lady," and it had suck. He very rarely called each other by their names at that point. Kagome had been a little irritated at first, but now it was sort of...endearing.

After they clocked in, Kagome and Inuyasha checked where they'd been assigned that day. For the first time since Inuyasha had started, they found that they had been assigned to different duties.

Kagome was surprised at how disappointed she was.

Even though Inuyasha had only been set to shadow her for his first week, Myoga had been impressed by how well they worked together so he'd kept them assigned as an informal team. Kagome figured that the hotel must be expected to be busy that day, so she pushed away her disappointment and smiled at Inuyasha.

"Looks like you have the desk and I'm cleaning," she said. "You ready for it?" Inuyasha grimaced.

"I'm not a fan of the desk," he admitted with a smirk. "But you knew that." Kagome laughed. She certainly did, considering the fact that Inuyasha complained almost every five minutes whenever they were working the desk.

"You can do it," Kagome encouraged. "Just go to your happy place." Inuyasha chuckled.

"Right, right," he replied.

Kagome secretly wondered what the happy place was.

From what she knew about him, she could probably guess it…

 _A kitchen filled with unlimited ramen._

Kagome smiled to herself and made a mental note to ask him later that day. She wasn't surprised that she was able to somewhat guess something like that.

She and Inuyasha spent almost every night staying up talking, so she'd gotten to know him pretty well.

O.o.O.o.O

It had taken a week of working together, but he'd finally told Kagome more about himself.

In the four years since he'd turned eighteen, he'd only had one job. He'd worked in Human Services for a paper company, which he'd mentioned on his first official day. He'd truly hated it because of the uptight atmosphere.

"At least I can have some fun here," he told Kagome while he was explaining the dullness of his job from where they were hanging out in an employee hallway. "Some parts were okay though. My girlfriend worked there as a part-time receptionist for a few months while she was getting her Bachelor's, so that's when we got together. She was the only cool one until she quit to go for her Master's. My other coworkers had some serious sticks shoved way up their butts." Kagome laughed. With a smirk Inuyasha shook his head.

"In all honesty, this is the best job I think I could have gotten at this point in my life," he admitted. He motioned to where he and Kagome were sitting in one of the staff hallways after their shift had ended that day.

"Seriously," he continued. "Give me one example of another job where I can hang out in awesome secret hallways with a totally non-boring coworker." Kagome giggled again.

"Heck if I know," she replied. Inuyasha smiled.

"I think you would really get along with my girlfriend," he said randomly. Kagome's smile faltered a bit.

"Okay…" she said with a light, albeit forced, chuckled. "What makes you think that?" Inuyasha shrugged.

"You just kind of remind me of her," he replied. "Not a whole lot, but a little. You're a lot more outgoing than she is…and a little nicer…but still. I think you guys would get along." Then it was Kagome's turn to shrug.

"Maybe," she replied hesitantly. "Is she going to visit soon or something?" Inuyasha sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.

"I'm not sure," he said. "She lives three-hundred miles away." Kagome frowned.

"Wow," she replied. "That must really suck." Inuyasha nodded.

"Yeah," he admitted. "She decided kind of randomly after graduating with her Bachelor's that she wanted to go for her Master's, and that's when she quit at the paper company. When she was applying for schools, she told me that she wanted go somewhere as far away from home as possible, and she did. She wanted to…'broaden her horizons' is how I think she put it." Kagome shook her head.

"Man," she said. "I can't even imagine." Inuyasha lifted his head up and smile.

"It's not that bad," he replied. "She might be visiting soon. I told her about the hotel and she's really curious to see it." Kagome smiled.

"That's great," she replied. "How long have you two been dating?" Inuyasha paused to think.

"Almost a year," he said. "I think it's been like…ten months? I don't remember off the top of my head. She's the one that keeps track of it." Kagome laughed.

"Wow," she said. "At least you're in the ballpark."

Inuyasha smirked.

"What about you, lady?" he asked. "You got a boyfriend?" Kagome shook her head.

"Nope," she replied. "I dated a guy for about a year-and-a-half, but we broke up about a few months ago. Mutual thing. Just wasn't working out anymore." Inuyasha nodded.

"So you just haven't found anyone else yet?" he asked.

"Nope," she replied. Inuyasha chuckled.

"What about Miroku?" he asked. Kagome couldn't help the smile that crept onto her lips.

"He's hopelessly in love with Sango, remember?" she reminded. "And Sango feels the same. She's just stubborn." Inuyasha laughed.

"Oh, yeah," he replied. "I forgot about that. Do you think they'll ever get together?" Kagome sighed.

"I hope they will eventually," she replied. "They're perfect for each other." Inuyasha gently knocked her shoulder.

"I'm sure it'll work out," he encouraged. "Miroku doesn't seem like the type to give up." Kagome laughed.

"You're right about that," she affirmed before yawning.

Sitting down against the wall, she checked her watch. Stifling a groan, she held her wrist out for Inuyasha to see.

"It's midnight," she informed him. "We have to clock in at five-fifty-eight." She could already feel her exhaustion creeping in. Instead of joining her in her complaints, Inuyasha only chuckled.

"It's your own choice to do that," he reminded her. Kagome rolled her eyes as they both stood up.

Then Kagome suddenly had an idea.

"I'll race you to the elevator," she said. Inuyasha laughed.

"You can't be serious."

Kagome took off down the hallway.

"I'd like to see you try to beat me now," she shouted over her shoulder. She felt pretty cocky until she saw that Inuyasha had started running and was gaining on her quickly.

"You're _twenty_!" he called back. "Aren't you a little old for this?" Kagome rolled her eyes.

"You're twenty- _two_!" she countered. "And yet here you are doing the same thing!" She heard him laugh behind her.

"Good point," he said as he finally caught up to her.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha beat her to the elevator.

Glancing over at her co-worker, Kagome pretended to frown. "You're stupidly fast," she commented. Inuyasha laughed.

"And you're stupidly slow," he shot back. Kagome rolled her eyes and took a deep breath as she pressed the elevator button.

"I can't believe how late I've been staying up," she said him. "I never do this. _Plus_ we have such an early shift." She could already feel her exhaustion creeping in. Instead of joining her in her complaints, Inuyasha only chuckled.

"I still can't believe you always clock in at five-fifty- _eight_ ," he said. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"It's efficient," she countered. "It gives enough time to go where you need to go and get with the program." Inuyasha laughed.

"Whatever you say," he replied as they reached the third floor. They exited the elevator and headed toward their respective rooms after bidding each other good night.

Kagome was truly a professional, but she couldn't hide the fact that she'd enjoyed playing games with Inuyasha in the employee hallways.

O.o.O.o.O

As Kagome left Inuyasha at the desk to begin her cleaning duties that first day they wouldn't be together, she heaved a sigh. She'd gotten comfortably used to Inuyasha's constant presence as she worked. It felt weird to not have him with her while she cleaned or walked through the employee hallways which fascinated him so much.

 _No big deal,_ she told herself as she began cleaning. _It's not like we're never going to work together again. I'll still see him every day._

The cleaning took her mind off of Inuyasha, so her day wound up being rather boring, which was odd; she'd never found work boring before. Kagome was reminded of how different her work-life had been before Inuyasha became her coworker. She could hardly believe how much had changed.

When she got off for her lunch break, she was pleased to see Inuyasha at the table in the kitchen eating a grilled cheese sandwich.

"Well, hey there," she greeted. "How was desk duty?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Ridiculous as usual," he replied. "Some lady came up and asked if I could unclog the drain in her room's bathtub. I told her I would call maintenance, but she insisted _I_ do it for her." Kagome giggled.

"Did you?" she asked. Inuyasha scowled.

"Of course not, lady," he retorted. "I have a little dignity." His scowl turned into a smirk. "I just called Miroku over. His flirtatiousness was able to convince her to let me call maintenance. The perv finally came in handy." Kagome laughed.

"That's great," she replied. Inuyasha smiled.

"Did you find any good stuff while you were cleaning?" he inquired.

"Not really," she replied sadly. "I just found some disappointingly random stuff. Not even worth saving." Inuyasha feigned relief.

"I'm glad the stuff sucked today," he said. "I would've been jealous if you'd found anything cool." Kagome laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you'll have cleaning duty tomorrow," she suggested. "Then you won't have to deal with desk work." Inuyasha looked hopeful.

"That would be nice," he replied. "I hate the desk." Kagome smiled sympathetically. Oh, she knew.

Her phone dinged then, and when she checked it to see a text from Myoga, she had to stifle a groan.

"I have to head over to the pool now," she announced as she stood up to wash her plate. "Some kid puked in it so now I have to go clean it out." Inuyasha made a grossed-out face.

"That's awful," he sympathized. "Good luck, lady." Kagome finished washing her plate and left it to dry before turning around to leave.

"Thanks," she replied. "Are you heading back to the desk?" Inuyasha slumped back in his chair.

"Yeah," he grumbled. "I'm there for the rest of the day." Kagome shrugged.

"Would you rather clean puke out of the pool?" she asked. Inuyasha pretended to gag.

"No thanks," he replied quickly. "I'll let you take care of that." Kagome laughed.

"See you later," she said as she walked out the room.

"Have fun!" Inuyasha called behind her.

Yes, her job certainly had gotten better.

Well, with the exception of the puke in the pool.

O.o.O.o.O

That night, as she went to meet Inuyasha in the staff room for dinner, Kagome called Sango.

"Hello?" Sango answered.

"Hey, it's me," Kagome said. Sango laughed.

"Yeah, caller ID," she reminded. Kagome giggled.

"Oh, yeah," she replied with a smile. "So Miroku has been bugging me for the last two weeks to get you to come by soon. Can you go ahead and do that within the next, I don't know, three days? And while you're at it, how about you date him, too?" Sango groaned.

"Kagome," she chided. "Don't do this to me. You know it's not going to happen." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Of course it will!" she insisted. "He likes you so much. Why else would he be bothering me so much to get you to come hang out." Sango sighed.

"Has his flirtatiousness still been out of control?" she asked. Kagome paused.

"Uh…" _Yes._

"That's what I thought," Sango concluded. "But enough of that. What are you up to tonight?" Kagome frowned at her brusque changing of the subject, but just decided to go with it. She didn't want to push Sango too much, so she left it be.

"I'm having dinner with Inuyasha," she replied.

"Isn't that like, the third night in a row?" Sango asked. Kagome paused. _It's like the third_ week _actually…_ but Sango didn't need to know that.

"Yeah," she replied instead. "He's cool." Sango didn't answer for a moment.

"Kagome," she began, "do you…like him?" Kagome's eyes widened.

"Of course not!" she defended. "We're friends. Besides…he has a girlfriend so it's not like it would matter even if I did." Sango laughed.

"Okay, okay," she replied. "Sheesh. Defensive much? I believe you." Kagome was bothered. Did she act like she liked him? Now she was paranoid.

"If you come by soon, you can meet him," Kagome said, trying to steer the conversation away from possible feelings that _definitely_ didn't exist.

"How about lunch tomorrow?" Sango suggested.

"That sounds good," Kagome replied. "My and Inuyasha's lunch breaks are usually at the same time, so if you come by at like 1:30 then that would work."

"Great!" Sango cheered. "I'm excited." Kagome smiled.

"Me, too," she replied. By then, she had reached the staff room. "Well, I have to go. I'll text you tomorrow."

"Sounds good!" Sango said. "Bye!"

"Bye," Kagome replied before hanging up. Kagome was bothered by what Sango had said about her and Inuyasha, but she knew she didn't have a thing for him, so it really didn't matter.

Right?

When she walked into the staff room, she saw Inuyasha at the stove. Upon seeing her, he smiled.

"Hey," he greeted. "I'm making soup. I figured we could have it for lunch and then dinner. It'll give you a break from always having to cook." Kagome laughed.

"Making sandwiches doesn't really count as cooking," she reminded him. "But soup sounds great."

"It's my famous chicken noodle," he announced. "It's the only thing I know how to cook, but it's pretty freakin' amazing." Kagome grabbed two bowls and two spoons from the cabinets and joined him by the stove.

"It smells really good," she commented. "And you made a lot." Inuyasha shrugged.

"Whoever wants some can have some," he replied. "It's only good in big batches so then it lasts for a few days."

Kagome handed him a bowl so Inuyasha could ladle some soup into it.

"Have you seen Miroku today?" she asked as Inuyasha handed the now full bowl to her. "Sango is coming for lunch tomorrow. Miroku would kill me if he found out she was here and he didn't get to see her." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Why doesn't she just say yes once?" he asked. Kagome took her bowl over to the table.

"Oh, she has," she replied. "Sango _did_ say yes one time, but then she saw him flirting hardcore with one of the hotel guests. She didn't like that, so she called the date off. That was like three months ago but he's asked her out about ten times since then." Inuyasha scoffed.

"Sounds like the guy can't take no for an answer," he commented. Kagome smiled sheepishly.

"Well…" she began, "I've kind of…encouraged him to not give up." Inuyasha laughed.

"Are you serious?" he asked. Kagome held her hands up in defensive.

"Sango likes him," she insisted. "He just needs to clean his act up, which I _know_ he will…eventually. So it's fine." Inuyasha laughed.

"If you say so," he conceded. "But I'm looking forward to meeting Sango. You talk about her so much. It'll be nice to put a face to the name." Kagome smiled.

"She's excited to meet you, too," she replied. Inuyasha chuckled.

"Why?" he asked. "It's not like I'm anything out of the ordinary." Kagome was a little embarrassed.

"Well, we spend a lot of time together," she explained. "Sango is excited to meet my work-wife." She cringed at the joke, wondering if maybe it would make things weird.

Inuyasha just laughed.

"I guess we are work-spouses," he replied. "Never had one of those before." Kagome smiled.

"Me neither," she said. Inuyasha smirked.

"Now try your soup, work-wife," he commanded jokingly. "It's amazing." Kagome giggled and slurped up a spoonful.

"Wow," she said after she'd swallowed. "That is really amazing." Inuyasha looked smug.

"Told ya," he replied.

O.o.O.o.O

The next day, Sango came by for lunch and wound up enjoying some of Inuyasha's soup.

"This is amazing soup," she commented after her first bite. Inuyasha glanced at me and smirked. Kagome laughed and turned back to see Sango looking at her oddly. Kagome decided to ignore it and instead took another bite of her own soup.

"My dear Sango!" a booming voice called from the doorway to the staff room. "Finally I get to see your beautiful face!" Sango rolled her eyes at Miroku.

"Hey, Miroku," she greeted civilly. "Flirted with any other women today?" Miroku put a hand over his heart.

"You wound me, my darling," he replied, feigning pain. "I have to admit that I didn't just come to see your wonderful self though. I needed some more of Inuyasha's soup." Sango just rolled her eyes again.

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha and gave him a _told you so_ look. He seemed rather caught off-guard.

Miroku came over and sat next to Sango at the table.

"So, Inuyasha," Sango began, ignoring Miroku. "How do you like working at the hotel?"

"It's pretty great," he replied. "The desk sucks but everything else is fine." He glanced at Kagome. "It also helps that the people that work here aren't terrible." She laughed.

"Gee, thanks," Kagome said sarcastically. When she turned back to Sango, the latter woman was giving the former that weird look again.

"That's great," she replied, her words not matching the look on her face.

The rest of lunch was uneventful, with Inuyasha relaying horror stories about his experiences at the desk, including when the woman tried to get him to personally unclog her drain.

They laughed and had a great time until Inuyasha and Kagome had to clock back in.

Sango lingered with Kagome after Miroku and Inuyasha had left.

"I'll walk you upstairs," she said after Kagome told her she had to clean that afternoon.

It was quiet between the two friends until they got on the elevator when Sango turned and looked at Kagome seriously.

"Kagome," she began, "I thought you said Inuyasha has a girlfriend." Kagome looked at her oddly.

"He does," she replied. Sango frowned.

"Then why were you flirting with him?" she asked. Kagome's eyes widened.

"I wasn't!" she countered. Sango didn't look convinced.

"Yeah, you were," she rebutted. "And he was flirting with you just as much." Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Sango," she began seriously, "Inuyasha and I are friends. At this point, I would consider us _good_ friends. He has a girlfriend, and despite that, I'm just not interested. We weren't flirting. That's just how we are with each other." Sango still looked skeptical, but she conceded.

"Okay then," she replied. "Maybe I misread things." Kagome was irritated.

"Yeah, you definitely did," she shot back. Sango frowned.

"Chill out, Kagome," she scolded. "It's not like I said this in front of Inuyasha." Guilt ran through Kagome immediately.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It just…I don't know. It's just annoying that just because he's a guy and I'm a girl means that we can't be _just_ friends." Sango looked at her pointedly.

"And it's annoying that a guy I like hurt me enough to make me call off a date," she began, "only to have you _constantly_ encourage him to _keep_ asking me out, and all the while he's _still_ flirting with all of those other women." Guilt came over Kagome again.

"I'm sorry, Sango," she said sincerely. "When you put it like that…I didn't realize. I'm really sorry." Sango waved it off as the elevator dinged, announcing their arrival to the floor to which Kagome needed to go.

"It's alright," she replied. "I'm sorry that I accused you and Inuyasha of having a love affair." Kagome burst out laughing as she got off the elevator.

"It's okay," she replied. "I'll talk to you later?" Sango smiled and she pressed the ground floor button on the elevator.

"Like always," she affirmed. "Have fun cleaning." With a final wave, the elevator doors closed again as Sango headed back down.

As Kagome got the maid cart together, she pondered what Sango had said.

 _Flirting?_ she wondered. _No…couldn't be. He has a girlfriend and I'm not interested._

Putting it out of her mind, she got to cleaning.

O.o.O.o.O

That night, as she headed to the staff room to meet Inuyasha for dinner, she heard him having a heated conversation on the phone. Deciding to wait outside to give him some privacy, she stood in the hallway silently.

"So what, you're not coming now?" Inuyasha asked whomever was on the phone. "What happened to you being so mad that I couldn't come and making a big deal about _you_ having to come here? Didn't I say I would pay for the plane ticket?" He paused as he listened to whomever was on the other end. Kagome felt guilty for eavesdropping on such a tense conversation, but…well, she was nosy.

"I know...I just miss you, baby," he said. "It's been too long since I've seen you." Kagome blushed, feeling uncomfortable at hearing him speak so intimately.

"It just feels like things have changed," he continued. "Like…I don't know. The issues we'd been having before I left are just getting worse. We never really worked them out before we both moved away." Kagome's eyes widened at that.

"You know I would come to you if I could," he explained. "But I haven't been at this new job that long. I can't take a week off already. It's uncouth." A pause as he listened.

" _Yes_ , I know what 'uncouth' means," he retorted. "Just because I'm not in school like you doesn't mean…" He paused as the other person apparently interrupted him.

"Okay, okay," he finally said. "I know you didn't mean it like that. We can just figure out when we can meet up later I guess. Things happen, plans change, and it's okay. No, I'm not mad…okay." Recognizing that the conversation was coming to an end, Kagome felt like it was an okay time to walk into the staff room.

Was she expecting the dejected look on Inuyasha's face? No.

Glancing up at her, he gave a half-hearted smile. Kagome could tell how forced it was. That conversation had really upset him.

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow," he said. "Okay, I'll talk to you later, baby. Bye." Finally, he hung up the phone and put it in his pocket.

"Ugh," he said as he put his head in his hands.

"Everything okay?" Kagome asked carefully. Inuyasha sighed and sat back in his chair.

"My girlfriend was making a big deal about me not being able to go visit her," he explained, "so I suggested her coming here but she can't be bothered. 'It's too much trouble,' she said. It's hard for her to get here. I get it. It's okay that she can't, so I'm not mad about that. I'm a pretty understanding guy. But does she have to say it like that? Like it's a _chore_ to see me? Ugh." He frowned and then seemed to realize everything he'd said.

"Wow, I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I totally just rambled on. She's actually really great, so I shouldn't be complaining like this. That's embarrassing…and stupid…sorry." Kagome smiled.

"It's okay," she assured him. "We all need to vent sometimes." Inuyasha stood up from the table.

"Is soup good for dinner?" he asked. "…again?" Kagome laughed.

"Your soup is _always_ good for _any_ meal," she replied. Inuyasha finally smiled for real.

"Sounds like a plan," he announced as he got the pot out of the fridge to heat it up.

As he got the meal prepared, Kagome pondered the conversation she'd heard.

In all honesty, she was bothered by how it seemed like his girlfriend acted toward him. No, it wasn't her business, but as a…good friend, she figured she was allowed to not like the injustice toward Inuyasha.

Dinner was quiet until Inuyasha broke the silence.

"You alright?" he asked. Kagome smiled.

"Yeah," she replied. "But I guess _I_ should be asking _you_ that after what happened with your girlfriend." Inuyasha shrugged.

"We've been like that for a while," he explained. "It's been…difficult lately with the distance and her moving on to 'bigger and better things,' as she's put it before." Inuyasha sighed.

"But I don't blame her," he murmured. "Things change and people change. Just gotta accept it and make the best out any situation." Kagome knew that Inuyasha didn't deserve that, and she could tell that he was having a hard time believing it, but she left it alone.

"It'll work out," she tried to encourage. Inuyasha sipped some of his soup.

"Yeah," he replied before finishing his dinner. "I'm gonna head to bed early." He got up and washed his bowl and put the pot back in the fridge.

"Night, lady," he said as he began to leave.

"Good night," Kagome replied.

Something was different. Definitely different.

Pushing it aside, she got up and washed her own dishes before grabbing a cookie out of the kitchen. She'd been playing a _lot_ of hide-and-seek lately. Might as well go all-out with the childlike habits.

But she wasn't complaining.

Her life was completely different now, and it felt like a new breath of fresh air had washed over her. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but she knew Inuyasha had a part in it. She was grateful for his friendship, but that was it.

But then her mind wandered to what Sango had said. She shouldn't think about it, shouldn't even consider the possibility of it because there was no way it would work out, but there was just enough to doubt that she knew she needed to squash any sort of doubts about if her lack of feelings for Inuyasha was actually a _lack_. Nope. She _definitely_ wasn't thinking about that.

She was fine. She didn't feel anything toward him except friendship.

Right?

To be continued…

So like I said: since it had been so long since I updated this, I figured I would give you guys an extra-long chapter, which has measured out to just over 6,800 words and now makes up over half of this story lol. Let me know what you think!

Much love. :)


	4. Wake-Up Call

Yes finally a new chapter *cries*

I have been working on this chapter off and on for a year...so really since I uploaded the last chapter. I wanted it to be a decent length with decent content, so hopefully I have delivered on that even though it took me a year to do it *sweats profusely*

Also just a side note…I did some minor editing changes in the previous chapter due to a few inconsistencies that I noticed *facepalm* Sorry, dears. Please forgive me and forgive my horrifically long absence from this story.

Quick reminder since it's been so long: this chapter continues straight from chapter three, which is three weeks from the beginning of the story. Just a little reminder :)

By the way: I KNOW that there are no proms in Japan; just humor me! I promise you will love it in the end ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

 **Chapter 4: Wake-Up Call**

Kagome did well to squash all thoughts of her conversation with Sango. Despite the fact that Sango thought there might have been something between Kagome and Inuyasha, the latter girl knew that she was off the mark. She and Inuyasha were friends. _Good_ friends. She decided to just not even ponder it anymore.

The day after Kagome had walked in on Inuyasha's phone conversation with his girlfriend, he seemed like he was off. The usual cocky smirk was missing from his face, but he certainly faked it when they met for lunch.

"You alright?" she asked as she made macaroni and cheese in the staff kitchen. Inuyasha nodded as he sat down at the table.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice sounding weary. "Just tired. I'm fine though." Kagome glanced at him, not quite believing it.

"Everything will work out with your girlfriend," she encouraged. "It'll be okay." Inuyasha finally smiled at her, a genuine one this time.

"Thanks," he replied sincerely. "At least I've got one person in my corner." At the sight of his smile, she felt that familiar pang of something she was just going to ignore.

She broke her gaze away from his. "So you want some mac and cheese?"

Lunch was normal; they talked and laughed in the way to which Kagome had grown accustomed.

She had completely pushed aside all thoughts of what might have been turning into a little crush, and she definitely knew that it had just been a fleeting thought. Sango had planted the seed in her head and Kagome's mind had gone off with it.

But that was done now.

The friendship was all she needed. She was content and grateful for it. In all honesty, she had probably just been going crazy. She'd been single for a long time and one of her best friends was now a very handsome guy. A girl is bound to question it. Right? Right. It was fine.

After they had finished lunch, Myoga ran into the staff kitchen, an urgent look on his face.

"We have a leak," he announced. "The pool is leaking into the gym, so we've had to shut both of them down. I'll take over the desk and find someone to cover for cleaning. Can you two take care of it?"

Inuyasha nodded immediately, understanding his role as the odds-and-ends guy. Kagome herself was a bit surprised at first, but she knew that being Assistant Manager came with certain...lower-level responsibilities.

Kagome nodded in determination. "Consider it handled."

o.O.o.O.o

"Holy…"

Inuyasha's curse was cut off by a loud grinding noise coming from the pool. It wasn't overfilled or leaking in the actual pool room, but the water level had lowered considerably.

"All of the water is leaking into the gym," Kagome observed, confirming what Totosai had said. "There must be something wrong under the bottom of it. Myoga is going to have to actually _call_ someone."

Kagome walked over and grabbed all the towels she could carry. "We need to take these towels to the gym and start cleaning up the water. I'll call Myoga on our way."

The pair rushed through the glass door connecting the gym to the pool, only to find a thin layer of water leaking from one of the walls. After determining where the source of the water was, Kagome pointed over to it.

"We need to cut off where it's leaking," she said. "Then we can figure out how to mop up the rest of the water."

Inuyasha set to work while Kagome pulled out her phone and called Myoga. "We have a bigger problem than expected," she said when her boss picked up.

After a quick conversation, Myoga said he would call and make arrangements for a professional to come as well as a professional cleaning crew. The hotel staff didn't have a water vacuum, so Myoga would have to order one from a cleaning company.

Once she hung up the phone, she grabbed a towel and went to help Inuyasha.

He glanced at her when she started folding the towel against the wall. "Someone sure is a boss lady today," he teased as the work.

Kagome grinned back at him. "All in a day's work."

Ten minutes later, she and Inuyasha had managed to stuff enough towels against the wall that the water was no longer streaming into the room. She could still hear the grinding noise coming from the pool through the door, so she knew they needed to work quickly.

"The leak is good for now, I guess," she announced after looking at their handiwork. "Now we need to mop all the water up." She felt absolutely disgusting in her shoes, which had started making a sloshing noise almost as soon as they entered the gym.

"Can you grab a couple of mops from one of the cleaning closets?" she asked Inuyasha as she started laying towels down to absorb the water from the floor. Inuyasha nodded and hurried to grab the mops.

He returned a few minutes later, a mop in each hand, and gave one of them to Kagome.

Rising from the ground while wiping sweat from her forehead, Kagome took the mop he offered and began to clean up the water.

It took what felt like _forever_ , but they were finally able to get the water cleaned up for the most part. They'd used every single towel in the pool room and every single sweat cloth from the gym. There were still a few puddles and wet spots on the floor, but overall it was a decent job.

"I'm exhausted," Kagome said as she rubbed a hand down her face.

She looked to Inuyasha to see him watching her. "What?" she asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nothing," he replied. "I've just never seen your boss side in action. I've heard you _talk_ like a boss, but never firsthand seen you _act_ like a boss. I'm impressed."

Kagome laughed. "Well, this whole pool thing is a new one for me, but congratulations. You've seen my serious side." Inuyasha chuckled.

"We need to stay until the pool guy gets here," she instructed. "And then once the pool is fixed we'll have to wash all of the towels, which is probably going to suck. I'm going to go grab a cart so we can easily move the towels when it's time."

When Kagome came back with the cart, she found Inuyasha speaking with a man she could only assume was the person Myoga had called about pool maintenance.

 _Thank goodness_ , she thought to herself. _I just want to go to bed._

An hour later, the pool pool maintenance employee announced that he was almost finished fixing it. Apparently the filter had broken, so instead of being recycled back into the pool, it had started going into the gym.

"Thank you so much," Kagome said gratefully. "I'll ask Myoga to meet you back in here. My co-worker and I need to take care of the dirty towels now. Thank you again for your help."

After sending Myoga a quick text asking if he could come back to the pool to finish up with the repair while she and Inuyasha took care of the towels, they set to work picking up all of the towels and putting them in the cart. Inuyasha pushed it after Kagome could barely get it to move two feet.

"I never realized how heavy wet towels are!" she said, amused.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes good-naturedly as they made their way to one of the laundry rooms.

It took a while, but they managed to get all of the towels into the industrial-sized washer. Due to its size, it took longer to finish the washing process.

"I'm going to take a shower," Kagome announced. "I'll meet you back down here in forty-five minutes?"

Inuyasha nodded. "A shower sounds good," he said. "I feel...damp. And not in a pleasant way."

Kagome laughed before they parted ways.

O.o.O.o.O

Forty-five minutes later, Kagome returned to the laundry room, Inuyasha appearing behind her a moment later.

"Fifteen minutes left," Kagome informed him as she sat down against the wall opposite to the washer. Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"That's a long time for a washer," he observed as he slid down next to her.

"You know what I feel like having for dinner?" she said a moment later. Inuyasha looked at her curiously.

"What?" he asked. Kagome looked at him and smirked.

"Ramen," she said. Inuyasha laughed.

"I've converted you!" he exclaimed.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I've always liked ramen!" she protested. "I just don't like to the point that I want to eat it for every single meal like you."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Whatever you say," he replied.

"Oh, wait, we're out of ramen in the kitchen though," Kagome remembered. "Bummer."

The buzzer went off, indicating that the washer had finished the cycle. As Kagome got up to switch the towels to the dryer, Inuyasha spoke up.

"I have a stash of instant ramen in my suite," he said. "I can make us some after we finish here."

Kagome, caught off-guard, almost dropped the towels before recovering herself.

"Okay," she said casually, filling with uncertainty at the idea of going to his room. _Get yourself together!_

Before she could say anything more, Myoga walked into the laundry room.

"Thank you both so much for your help today," he said gratefully. "You are my dream team!" Kagome and Inuyasha smiled at him.

"The towels are going into the dryer right now," Kagome informed him. "We'll fold them and put them away when they're done."

Myoga waved her off. "You two have done more than enough for today. Take the rest of the day off and rest. I'll have someone else take care of folding and putting away." Kagome was surprised.

"Are you sure, Myoga?" she asked. The manager nodded.

"I'm positive," he reaffirmed. "Head on upstairs and take a much needed rest."

Kagome and Inuyasha thanked him as they left the laundry room.

"I have a special ramen recipe," Inuyasha said as they headed to his suite. "You'll never guess what it is."

Kagome pretended to ponder what he said for a moment. "Hmm, let me guess...you boil water and then put the noodles in the bowl?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened in mock surprise. "How did you know?"  
Kagome laughed and shook her head as they got on the elevator.

As Inuyasha pressed the button indicating the third floor, he spoke again. "But really. I do actually have a secret recipe for it."

Kagome was intrigued. "Then I guess I'll have to see just how good it is." Her stomach growled involuntarily. "Although I could probably eat anything right now. That burned all my mac-and-cheese energy."

"Well, then you'll enjoy it a little extra today," he said.

Once they'd made it to Inuyasha's suite, he unlocked the door and led her inside.

It looked like any other suite on the floor, Kagome's included, but it definitely had a few _Inuyasha_ touches.

There were hardly any extra items in the suite aside from what comes with it, but Kagome noted a throw pillow that said "My Bark Matches My Bite" and a red blanket draped over the back of the couch.

The coffee table had a couple of books on it. Kagome could only see the title of one: _The Catcher in the Rye._ She figured it was his current reading given that it was opened facedown on the table as if in lieu of usage of an actual bookmark. She was amazed; she never knew there was a Japanese translation of that book. She personally spoke English in addition to Japanese, so it was a book she'd already read. Maybe they could start a book club…

She nearly chuckled at the idea of her and Inuyasha sitting at her kitchen table every week, discussing books like _Pride and Prejudice_ and _The Scarlet Letter._ Maybe she could teach him English.

"Where did you get _The Catcher in the Rye_?" she asked as Inuyasha set his keys on the counter. "I've never seen it in Japanese."

Inuyasha glanced over at it. "There's a small bookstore in my hometown," he said. "It has a lot of translated books there." Kagome's eyes widened.

"That's so cool," she said. "I've only been able to read that book in English because I could never find a Japanese copy."

Inuyasha looked surprised. "You speak English?"

Kagome nodded. "I learned in high school."

Inuyasha seemed impressed. "I only know a little bit from high school, but I could never get the accent right so I kind of just gave up."

Kagome laughed. "That was the hardest part for me," she admitted. "Now I mostly just use it to read."

Inuyasha moved to the stove before putting a pot of water on to boil. Kagome sat down at the table as he grabbed a couple of ramen packets from the cabinet.

"So what's this special recipe?" Kagome asked after a moment of quiet.

Inuyasha smirked. "It's a secret," he replied. "I can never tell you."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright." She couldn't help but smile back at him.

Inuyasha got the water boiling and began stirring the noodles as he reached up into the cabinet again. He seemed rather furtive about it, so Kagome figured that was his special ingredient.

"So where did you learn this recipe?" she asked.

Inuyasha glanced at her sheepishly. "I was at an office Christmas party one time back when I still worked for the paper company back home," he began to explain, "and it was _so_ boring. My co-worker and I brought the drinks but the only food there was ramen. Literally, the only food and it wasn't even homemade; it was store-bought instant ramen! Which, of course, is good with me but it was _so_ annoying that there was no selection. One of my co-workers and I decided to play a prank on everyone because no one had brought anything else. We made sure the person who brought the ramen got a plate and then we got plates before we added a special something in to prank everyone."

Kagome was horrified. "And now you're going to make _me_ eat it?"

Inuyasha held his hands up in mock defense. "Let me finish! Anyway, we added the ingredient in without anyone knowing thinking it was going to be the prank of a lifetime. But then the guy that brought the ramen kept getting all these compliments about how good it was and how it was the best ramen anyone had ever had. So of course we tried it ourselves and, sure enough, it was amazing. Our prank totally backfired because everyone enjoyed the ramen and the guy got the credit for our culinary genius."

Kagome laughed as Inuyasha moved the pot to drain the ramen before filling up two bowls.

"But," he said as he brought the bowls to the table, "I figured out the best way to enjoy ramen. Go ahead and try it."

Kagome was a bit skeptical, but she tried it nonetheless. After the first bite, she was addicted. "This is _so_ good. I'm glad your prank backfired because it means I get to eat this. It's delicious."

Inuyasha smiled before taking a bite of his own ramen. "Told ya."

"Here I was thinking it was some sort of old family recipe," Kagome said.

Inuyasha shook his head, feigning sadness. "I don't come from a long line of culinary-inclined people. All I can make it my special soup and instant ramen."

Kagome pretended to pity him. "Poor Inuyasha. I, however, do come from a long line of culinary-inclined people, which I'm sure you've realized from my cooking skills every day."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You make sandwiches or macaroni and cheese. _Sometimes_ chicken. That's not real food."

Kagome laughed. "It's still cooking! But really though. I actually do know how to cook _real_ food. I'll make _real_ food tomorrow for dinner."

Inuyasha twirled a huge helping of ramen around his chopsticks. "Sounds like a plan."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Are you actually going to eat that in one bite?"

Inuyasha looked at her, a challenge in his eyes. "You think I won't?"

Before Kagome could answer, Inuyasha had put the entire thing into his mouth.

"Why?" Kagome exclaimed. "That was like half of the bowl!"

Inuyasha shrugged and swallowed. "It's called efficiency."

Kagome shrugged back. "You've got me there."

They two enjoyed their meal despite Inuyasha's habit of taking monster-sized bites. Kagome had to take her normal-sized bites between fits of giggles that Inuyasha was inducing.

By the time she was almost done, she was startled by a sudden jolt from Inuyasha.

"Oh man!" he said suddenly as he checked his watch.

Kagome jumped a little at his sudden upset. "What's wrong?"

Inuyasha groaned. "I was supposed to call my girlfriend an hour ago and I totally forgot. I haven't even checked my phone. She's probably called four times."

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I'll head out then so you can call her." She took the last bite of her ramen before picking up the bowl and walking over to the sink. She grabbed a sponge and dish soap and began to wash it.

A hand settled on her shoulder. "Don't worry about cleaning up," Inuyasha said from behind her. "I'll take care of it."

Kagome nodded, not quite able to meet his gaze.

"Thank you for dinner," she said. Inuyasha smiled, trying to catch her eye.

She finally looked up at him, smiling back.

"See you tomorrow morning," she said as she walked over to the door.

"Five fifty- _eight_ ," Inuyasha replied as he watched her walk down the hall to her room. "Good night."

Kagome walked into her suite, feeling more annoyed than anything else. "That was rude!" she shouted to herself. "First he's all nice and cooks me dinner and then suddenly he's going on about having to call his girlfriend? What a jerk!"

Kagome threw her room key onto the couch and walked into her bedroom to flop onto her bed.

She screamed into her pillow before rolling over onto her back.

"Get it together, girl," she said out loud to herself. "Are you mad because he was rude or because you're jealous?"

Kagome groaned. She didn't know.

O.o.O.o.O

A few days later, Kagome had gotten a hold of herself. She'd decided that she'd been mad because of his rude actions, about which he'd apologized another three times the day after they had dinner. She forgave him; it helped her realize that no, she wasn't jealous and yes, he was rude. All was forgotten over her meal of _real_ food: beef stir fry. Inuyasha had no complaints and even she had to give herself a pat on the back.

Meanwhile, the pool had been completely fixed and the gym completely cleaned so they were both open again. Kagome was immensely grateful for that; she'd been asked probably about a thousand times when the pool was going to open back up.

She was in the employee kitchen alone when Myoga walked in. Inuyasha had been called upstairs to take a few towels to the sixth floor, so Kagome was alone.

Myoga sat down across from her before he heaved a great sigh.

"What's wrong, Myoga?" Kagome asked, concerned.

"It's that time of year again," he muttered. "Usually I don't mind it too much, but I'm getting old. I'm too _old_ for this." Kagome almost laughed at how dramatic he was being, but she kept a straight face before she realized what he was talking about.

It was almost prom season.

Kagome groaned. "Prom," she said. Myoga nodded grimly.

"How many do we have this year?" she asked. Myoga grimaced.

"Four," he replied. "The last one booked today." Kagome nearly fell out of her chair.

The last couple years they'd only had two and that had nearly killed the entire staff. A lot of the local schools, and even a few from out of town, envied the opportunity to have their prom night in a hotel as fancy as the Goshinboku.

"Luckily none of them have asked us to cater," Myoga admitted. "They didn't like the extra fee, especially because it's already so expensive to book the big room. They just need help setting up, rearranging tables and chairs, and pretty much just making sure none of the kids get too crazy." Kagome _hated_ the big room. It was just shy of being an actual ballroom, and it took forever to clean. It was a nightmare after even just a single prom. She couldn't imagine having to deal with setting it up and cleaning up after _four_ proms.

"Any more bad news?" she asked. Myoga looked grave.

"They're four weekends in a row," he continued. "So we'll essentially have to plan them all at once with only a week for final prep in between each one." Kagome nearly quit right then and there.

Well, not really. She loved her job. This just made her love it a little less.

"Myoga," she began, "with all due respect, why are you doing that?" Myoga sighed.

"It's good publicity for the hotel," he explained. "And even though we don't necessarily need it, we'll make two-thousand dollars from each prom." Kagome was shocked.

"I see you increased the price," she replied. "Can I get a commission?" She was teasing, but Myoga look as if he were seriously considering it.

"Yes," he finally replied after a quick moment of thought. Kagome's eyes widened.

"Myoga, I was kidding," she said. "I would never expect that." Myoga smiled.

"You are my star employee," he replied. "And with the massive revenue these proms are going to bring in, we have the ability to actually give out a few commissions to the staff that help. I'm only going to assign twenty people to each prom, but you'll work all of them if you don't mind doing that." Kagome smiled.

"For extra cash, I definitely don't mind," she teased. Myoga laughed.

"We can talk numbers later," he said. "Your bonus will be in addition to the usual salary. The other employees will be getting a commission, but it won't be as much because I'll expect you to essentially run the show with me. It'll be like supervising, but you'll be doing the same work as the other employees as well." Kagome nodded.

"Sounds good to me," she replied. "When is the first one?" Myoga pulled out his phone to check the calendar.

"The first one is three-and-a-half months away, which means we have three months and some change to plan all four since they're in a row," he said. "Since we don't have to worry about catering, it won't be as much of an insane ordeal." Kagome smiled.

"That doesn't sound _nearly_ as bad as you originally made it out to be," she replied. Myoga chuckled.

"I'm glad you feel that way," he admitted. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I will quite enjoy the youthfulness of each evening…even if they do make me feel old." Kagome chuckled.

"When will we start planning?" she asked. Myoga checked his calendar.

"I have it set to begin in about two weeks," he replied. Kagome was a little caught off-guard. At least there was a good cushion of time to prepare Inuyasha.

"Sounds good," she said. Myoga smiled.

"I'll send an email out to the staff about the schedule. We'll be doing weekly meetings to begin planning, and then we'll have to go over the decorations each school wants. I believe two of them are supplying their own decorations, but we'll have to use our own for the other two."

Kagome knew it was going to be a _lot_ of work, and even though she usually hated prom season, she was actually a little bit excited.

Especially because she knew she could openly complain about anything to Inuyasha. He would definitely make the process a lot more fun.

Her break was up by then, so she headed back out to desk duty.

Before she did, she grabbed her phone and sent a text to Inuyasha.

 **Dinner tonight? I'll cook.**

A few seconds later, she got a reply.

 **Nah.**

Kagome's eyes widened at the text. _The heck?_

Her phone vibrated again.

 **Just kidding. See you then.**

Kagome rolled her eyes before smiling to herself.

Then she went back to work.

O.o.O.o.O

" _Four_ proms?!" Inuyasha shouted at dinner that night. " _Four_ weekends in a row?" Kagome laughed.

"It's not going to be that bad," she replied. "From what Myoga said, all four of these are going to be easier than the last two combined."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know how you're excited about this." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"We don't have to cater," she explained. "We just have to serve the food and deal with setting up and cleaning up. That saves a ton of time and effort. Plus, we only have to completely decorate for two of them. The kids from the other two schools are bringing their own decorations and have prom committees that are going to help us decorate. It's really not going to be that bad." Inuyasha huffed.

"I didn't even go to my own prom," he replied. Kagome nearly choked on the grilled chicken she'd cooked for them.

" _What?_ " Kagome was shocked. "How could you not go to your own prom?" Inuyasha frowned.

"It was lame," he replied. "And…I was kind of a loner in high school. I didn't have anyone to go with as a date or even as a friend group like the loser kids do." Kagome pointed at him.

"Hey, now," she scolded. "First of all, I went in a friend group to my prom. We're not losers. Second of all, I'm sorry. That's pretty sad. But perk up! You get _four_ proms instead of one!" Inuyasha grimaced.

"Why did Myoga even schedule me for all of them?" he complained. "I'm still pretty new."

Kagome shrugged. "You're a really good employee," she explained. "I, on the other hand, am a _great_ employee. That's why I'm doing all four." Inuyasha finally smiled.

"Okay, humble girl," he replied. "I guess it won't be as boring if you're there." Kagome chuckled.

"Gee, thanks," she teased.

Inuyasha waved her off. "Calm down," he joked. "I'm kidding. It'll definitely be more fun."

Kagome smiled. "That's the spirit! Honestly, it's rewarding in the end. Seeing all the kids be young and carefree and happy for the evening is worth it."

Chuckling, Inuyasha shook his head. "So cheesy."

Kagome giggled. "Shut up! Just wait and see you. You'll understand at the first prom."

Smiling in amusement, Inuyasha shrugged. "Maybe you're right, lady. But the real question...do we have to dress up? I would hate having to work in a suit."  
Kagome laughed. "No, we wear uniforms. It's just black pants, white button-up shirts, black shoes, and a black apron. Nothing too crazy."

Inuyasha seemed relieved. "Good. That would've sucked."

The rest of their lunch time was spent discussing the proms, and Kagome found herself actually excited about them. It would certainly be a different experience now that she had a close friend to work alongside of during the prom season.

O.o.O.o.O

A harsh knock at the door of her suite made Kagome jolt out of her slumber.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was four in the morning.

 _I'm going to murder whoever is at the door_ , she grumbled silently as she threw the covers off and walked to the main living area.

Peeking through the peephole, she was shocked to see Sango grinning into the little piece of glass.

Kagome opened the door quickly to reveal a large cake in Sango's arm along with a ridiculously childish grin on her face.

"Happy birthday, Kagome!" she whispered-cheered as she stepped inside Kagome's suite.

Kagome was the definition of surprised. She'd been so busy the past week with the pool fiasco and the upcoming prom planning that she'd forgotten it was her birthday.

"Uh, thank you?" Kagome replied, still half-asleep. "Why are you here?"

Ignoring her question, Sango flipped on the kitchen lights and began rummaging around Kagome's cabinets.

"I need a lighter," she mused. "Do you have one?" Kagome, mystified, pointed to the cabinet above her sink.

Upon finding it, Sango grinned again and began to light the candles on the cake.

Once all twenty-one candles were lit, she clapped her hands together excitedly and turned to face Kagome.

"I'm working late tonight," she began. "so I knew we wouldn't get to celebrate after you get _off_ work, so I decided to just come by before you went _into_ work. I baked this cake last night so it's a little cold and probably a little dry, too, but just ignore that. It's the thought that counts."

Kagome, finally awake enough to appreciate what was happening, laughed happily. "Thank you, Sango! This is the best birthday ever and it's not even technically the _day_ yet."

Sango motioned to the cake. "Make a wish!"

Kagome smiled and thought for a moment. "I wish…for a light workload today." She then blew out the candles.

Sango looked horrified. "You can't tell me what your wish is! Now it won't come true!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "As if that wish would ever come true, Sango…ever." Sango laughed and shrugged in agreement as she grabbed two plates, two forks, and a knife.

"Cake for breakfast," she announced. "The breakfast of two twenty-one-year-old champions. Welcome to the club, Kagome." Kagome looked excitedly at the massive slice of cake that was currently being dished out to her by Sango.

"The cake club, apparently," Kagome replied before taking a huge bite of cake.

Sango stayed with Kagome as the latter girl got ready for work. As Kagome showered, Sango sang "Happy Birthday" from her perch on the edge of the bathroom sink, causing Kagome to get shampoo in her eyes due to the fits of laughter into which she kept dissolving.

Finally, it was time for Kagome to head down to clock in. Sango followed her down there, but she had grown quiet all of a sudden.

"You alright?" Kagome asked as she pressed the first floor button on the elevator.

Sango sighed. "I've been thinking about… _maybe_ …going out with Miroku. I mean, it's been long enough. I think maybe I should just say screw it and see what happens."

Kagome smiled. "That would be the best birthday present I could get."

Sango rolled her eyes but a giggle escaped her. "Just for you, Kagome." Kagome laughed.

When they walked into the staff kitchen so Kagome could clock-in, they ran into Inuyasha. He seemed shocked to see Sango walk in with Kagome.

"Hey," he greeted. "Why the heck are you here so early?"

Sango wrapped her arm around Kagome's shoulder. "I'm being a great friend, duh. We had to celebrate in the wee hours of the morning." Kagome shook her head good-naturedly, a smile never leaving her face.

Inuyasha chuckled. "What's the occasion?"

Sango looked surprised. "It's Kagome's birthday. Didn't you see it on the calendar? Or, better yet, didn't Kagome mention it?" Inuyasha looked embarrassed.

"Well, I don't really look at that calendar." He glanced at Kagome accusingly. "And no, that girl over there did _not_ mention it. Happy birthday, Kagome." His grin made Kagome come _very_ _close_ to blushing, but she managed to suppress it.

"Thanks," she replied. "It's been a good one so far." She clocked in and braced herself for the day. "I'm on desk duty today. Hopefully that doesn't ruin it."

Inuyasha cringed. "That ruins my day _any_ day. Have a blast, lady." Kagome chuckled and gave a wave to him as she and Sango left the room.

Sango seemed like she wanted to ask about Inuyasha, but Kagome did her best to ignore the look she was receiving from the former girl.

Instead, she saw Sango glance at her watch and yawn. "I have to be at work in two-and-a-half hours. It's going to be a long day." Kagome laughed.

"That's how I feel every single day," she replied. "Maybe it'll be different now that I'm a mature woman."

After a final laugh exchanged, Sango left and Kagome settled into her daily routine.

When lunch came around, Kagome walked into the staff kitchen to see Myoga and Inuyasha sitting at the table waiting for her with a plate of brownies in front of them.

Myoga smiled up at her. "Happy birthday, Kagome! I heard that Sango brought you cake bright and early, so I figured birthday brownies might be a better gift." Kagome laughed.

"Thanks, Myoga. I don't think I can look at another cake for a _long_ time. We ate way too much this morning." Myoga chuckled.

"I figured as much," he replied. "I have to run off to a meeting now, but have a great day, Kagome." Kagome waved as he left the room.

She turned to Inuyasha to see a mischievous grin on his face. Kagome frowned.

"What?" she asked suspiciously. Inuyasha shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, nothing," he replied casually. "I'm just, you know, thinking about the amazing gift I got you." Kagome blushed.

"You didn't have to get me a gift," she protested. "And how did you even get one? You just found out that it's my birthday this morning."

Inuyasha looked proud. "I ran out on my break. There and back in thirty minutes." Kagome laughed.

"Okay, well, what is it?" she asked.

Inuyasha grabbed a bag from the counter and set it down in front of Kagome at the table. "Open it and see."

Kagome, stifling another blush, looked in the bag and pulled out…

A flashlight?

"Um," she began, a little uncertain. Inuyasha laughed, presumably at the confusion on Kagome's face.

"It's a _very_ fancy flashlight," he explained. "It has a bunch of different color settings and even a strobe setting. It's for when we play hide-and-seek in the employee hallways."

Kagome, touched, laughed lightly. "This is great. Thank you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha smirked. "You have to share it, though. That's the only stipulation."

That night, they played hide-and-seek with Kagome's new flashlight and, yes, Kagome did share with him.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun on her birthday.

O.o.O.o.O

A few days later, Inuyasha seemed to be in a better mood. He'd been laughing and joking around more than he had in a couple weeks.

"How are things with your girlfriend?" Kagome asked at lunch, figuring that was the cause of his improved demeanor.

Inuyasha shrugged before taking a bite of his turkey sandwich. "We haven't really talked much today…or yesterday…or the day before."

Kagome was surprised. "Oh, wow. You just seem like you're…happier. I thought maybe something good had happened."

Inuyasha paused. "Hm…nope, we just haven't really talked." He sighed. "Maybe that's what it is. If I don't talk to her, I don't feel stressed about it. Man, that sounds terrible."

Kagome set down her fork, abandoning her sandwich for a moment. "There's nothing bad about that. It's the truth, so why bother lying to yourself about it? Everyone needs a break from the stressors in their life."

Inuyasha scoffed. "My own girlfriend has become a _stressor_. That's great." Kagome frowned.

"That's not what I meant. It's just…well, I don't know. Don't listen to me." Inuyasha shook his head.

"No, you're right," he replied. "I'll call her tonight. I miss her, obviously, but maybe this lull was good. Maybe she'll be ready to talk at least somewhat calmly."

Kagome nodded. "Whenever I'm having a problem, my mom always says to just step back, take a deep breath, and then come back to it when I'm feeling better independent of the issue. That usually helps."

Inuyasha sighed. "Solid advice," he agreed. "Maybe your mom should make encouragement cards." He finally grinned and chuckled a bit.

Kagome smiled. "She definitely could."

Inuyasha checked his watch before standing up to wash his plate. "Gotta get back. I'll see you for dinner…and then hide-and-seek?" Kagome laughed.

"You bet. I'll bring my flashlight." She gave him a wave before he disappeared.

Inuyasha didn't show up to dinner that night, which was odd. As Kagome pulled her phone out to text him, he sent her a message.

 **Can't make it to dinner. See you for hide-and-seek though. Don't forget your flashlight.**

Mystified, Kagome just finished her dinner before going upstairs to change into sweatpants and a t-shirt.

When they met up later, Inuyasha seemed different. Kagome couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something had definitely shifted. She decided to not bring it up, instead choosing to put her energy into their game.

An hour later, after a particularly intense game, her flashlight lay between them as they sat next to each other against one of the walls in the employee hallway.

They'd been laughing at the tumble Inuyasha took when he'd slipped on his sock, resulting in a very child-like scrape on his knee.

When their laughter died down, Inuyasha grew serious.

"My girlfriend and I broke up," he said suddenly. Kagome's eyes widened.

"Whoa," she replied. "When?"

Inuyasha leaned his head back against the wall. "Earlier. That's why I wasn't at dinner. We were on the phone. She wasn't happy."

Kagome peered at him. "And you? Are you alright?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I think so. It's just…weird, I guess. She said, 'Inuyasha, I'm over this,' And I said, 'Kikyo, I've _been_ over this." But I'm okay."

Kagome, unused to the name 'Kikyo' since Inuyasha had never actually said his girlfriend's, or now ex-girlfriend's, name out loud to her before, looked at him pointedly.

"Do you need another quote from my mom?" Inuyasha chuckled.

"Sure."

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

Inuyasha burst out laughing. "That's definitely just a common saying," he teased. Kagome giggled.

"Yeah, I was kidding. But it got you laughing, right?" Inuyasha grinned at her.

"What's your mom like?" he asked.

Kagome paused. "Well, she loves to cook. Growing up, I never had fast food or take-out or anything like that." Inuyasha looked shocked.

"Not even pizza?" he asked in astonishment. Kagome shook her head, amused.

"Nope," she replied. "She never wanted us to eat anyone else's cooking in her home, so we never did." Inuyasha chuckled.

"My mom was the opposite," he said. "She just wasn't good at cooking. She would always try to do it, and I mean she tried as hard as she could, but something always either caught on fire or was just totally inedible. We ordered a _lot_ of pizza."

Kagome laughed. "What about now? Did she ever learn to cook better?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. She died a few years ago." Kagome's eyes widened.

"I'm so sorry," she replied. "That's terrible."

Inuyasha shrugged. "She was sick so we saw it coming, but nothing ever really prepares you for that kind of thing."

Kagome nodded. "My dad died in a car accident. I was little, so I don't really have too many memories of him. It's still hard sometimes."

Inuyasha sighed. "I understand. It doesn't matter the circumstance; losing a parent is hard regardless of any situation."

Kagome looked over at him, feeling a sudden understanding pass between them.

He met her gaze and smiled.

Not a grin, not a smirk

A smile.

Kagome's heart sped up. To avoid the impending heart attack, she turned away.

"Can I tell you something?" Inuyasha asked suddenly.

Kagome nodded, smoothing out her pants instead of looking at him.

"Of course," she replied.

She felt his hand cover hers. That startled her into looking up and into his golden eyes.

His golden orbs had grown intense and filled with an emotion she couldn't quite decipher.

"Um," was all she could get out before his hand closed over hers, encompassing it between his strong fingers.

"Thank you, Kagome," he said.

"For what?" she squeaked.

Inuyasha shook his head. "You just…you're _you_."

Kagome could see where this might be headed, and the word _rebound_ came to her mind.

"I think you should get some rest," she said kindly as she pulled her hand out of his. "I think that's what you need right now."

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right." He stood up rather quickly.

Kagome smiled up at him. "I know. Now get your butt to bed."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Good night."

It wasn't until he was gone that Kagome put her hand over her racing heart. The whole encounter, the moment, had nearly sent her over the edge.

What was this feeling? She'd never felt it before, not even with guys she'd dated. He'd barely touched her, and she knew it wasn't in any sort of intentionally stimulating way, but somehow he'd sent her into an oblivion of sensations and emotions she'd never experienced.

She gently banged her head back against the wall a couple times before finally standing up to head back to her suite.

As she lay down in bed, she felt the same questioning feelings come back. Did she feel something for him? And more importantly...did he feel something for her?

She shook her head and buried her face in her pillow.

 _I'm not gonna be a rebound,_ she thought to herself. _I know he wouldn't see me as that, but…still._

She groaned into her pillow before rolling over and falling into a fitful sleep.

O.o.O.o.O

The next morning, Inuyasha was already in the employee kitchen, staring into a cup of coffee.

"Good morning," Kagome said casually when she walked in.

Inuyasha looked up at her with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Hey, thanks for talking things through with me last night," he said. "I know there was a lot of crap, but I appreciate every time you listen and try to help." Kagome shook her head.

"Don't worry about it," she replied. "I'm happy to help." Inuyasha huffed.

"Thanks," he replied. "It was a rough day." Kagome smiled before peering at the schedule.

"Well, it looks like you're cleaning today. No desk duty. Congrats."

Inuyasha smirked. "Things are already looking up."

They parted ways, and Kagome went right back to suppressing...something. Was it even worth trying to name it?

Later that evening, Kagome was cooking dinner in the employee kitchen. Upon hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around with a smile on her face, expecting to see a certain golden-eyed man.

When she turned around, Miroku was taking a seat at the table, his gaze locked on her.

"Hey," Kagome greeted, only a little disappointed that it wasn't Inuyasha.

Miroku laughed. "Don't seem so excited to see me. Were you expecting someone else?"  
Blushing, Kagome turned back around to the stove to finish cooking. "Sorry that my 'hey' wasn't satisfactory." She tried to keep her tone light and teasing, but even she could hear the slight fakeness within her words.

Miroku only chuckled again. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages. Now that we're coming up on prom season, I've been busy working out finances with the schools. I feel like I still haven't recovered from last year."  
Kagome laughed, her tension dissipating. "I feel you. Luckily it shouldn't be as difficult this year. Besides, it's not like you work the actual proms. You do money crap and not prep or service."

Sighing a great yawn, Miroku shrugged. "It's still a lot of brain power," he pointed out. "But you have a point. But you know what helps?"  
Kagome glanced back at him. "What?"

Miroku smirked. "Sango."

Kagome laughed, knowing exactly what he was talking about. He and Sango had finally gone on a date, and Sango had raved about how amazing it was. Kagome was beyond happy for them.

Inuyasha walked in the kitchen at that moment and smiled at Kagome's laughter. "What's so funny?"

Kagome smiled at him. "Miroku is a little mushy about Sango."

Inuyasha chuckled and sat down at the table across from Miroku. "Isn't Miroku _always_ mushy about Sango?"

Kagome burst out laughing again. Miroku only shrugged.

"I won't deny my love for that woman," he said simply. Kagome smiled at his words.

"They're actually dating now, though," Kagome informed Inuyasha. "Miroku no longer has to admire from afar."

Inuyasha smiled. "Well, congratulations, Miroku. Looks like you finally wore her down."  
That earned an eye roll from Kagome. "Hey, now. He deserved to sweat over it for a bit."

Miroku sighed. "Kagome is right...but all's well that ends well. I can only be grateful that things finally worked out with Sango."

Kagome grabbed some plates and began dividing the food out onto plates. "It's a good thing I made a lot of food. Usually it's just Inuyasha and me in here for dinner."

Miroku stretched. "I needed an earlier break from working. Finances are killing me."

As Kagome passed out the plates, Inuyasha spoke up. "So I guess prom is tough on your end?" Miroku nodded.  
"There are a lot of financial factors that go into it," he explained. "I have to crunch a lot of numbers for each one."

Inuyasha nodded as he took a bite of the pasta Kagome had made. "That sounds like it sucks," he replied. "But this pasta doesn't. Nice work, Kagome."

Kagome smiled as she sat down with her own plate. "Don't act like you're surprised that my cooking is good. I _told_ you I was good."

Inuyasha grinned at her and shook his head. "And you were right."

The pair laughed while Miroku just peered at them.

"You two certainly seem chummy," he commented. "Is there a new romance brewing?"

Kagome nearly choked on her pasta. "What are you talking about?"

Inuyasha shook his head at Miroku. "Nah, we're just friends." His tone was calm and casual, much different than Kagome's sudden defensiveness. She quickly tried to rein it in.

"Yeah, just friends," she added, her voice taking on a cooler tone despite her racing heart.

Miroku eyed Kagome, knowing her well enough to not take her at face-value, but he didn't comment on it.

"My mistake," he said simply as he took a bite of his dinner. "But yes, excellent pasta, Kagome."

Ever the conversationalist, Miroku resumed their prom discussion while Kagome tried to calm down.

 _Chill out!_ she scolded herself internally. _Why are you freaking out? It's not like you're into him or anything...stop getting all worked up._

Her mini-pep talk worked, so she joined in the conversation as the conversation about the proms continued.

As she walked to her suite after dinner, her mind drifted to Inuyasha.

Sighing, she tried to not get worked up again at Miroku's comment. They were friends, just like Inuaysha had said. Nothing more.

She buried her head in her pillow and forced herself to go to sleep.

O.o.O.o.O

Around two in the morning, when she was finally starting to drift off, she heard a knock on her door. Panicking a bit at the creepy visit because she knew a sane person, aside from Sango's birthday visit, wouldn't be showing up at her door in the middle of the freaking night, she got up slowly and silently to walk to the door that led out to the hallway.

Quietly peeking through the peephole, she saw a flash of silver hair and a rather distressed looking golden-eyed man.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she momentarily stared at him through the little piece of glass.

 _Should I open it?_

He knocked again, apparently intent on getting her to answer.

She took a deep breath, counted` to ten, let it out, and then opened the door.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she tried to keep her voice casual, but that was pretty hard to do when her heart was still practically choking her.

"Kagome, I'm single," he stated, his words slurring a bit.

Before Kagome could reply, Inuyasha staggered a bit and seemed to nearly fall over.

Kagome frowned right back. "Have you been drinking?" Inuyasha steadied himself with a hand on Kagome's doorframe.

"Maybe," he replied, "but it's fine because I'm single. Can I come in? I'm _so_ tired."

Kagome hesitated, but opened the door wider. "Sure."

Inuyasha walked in before practically throwing himself on the couch.

"I'm _single_ ," he announced. "So freakin' single, man." He began laughing like a madman, the alcohol clearly starting to hit him extra hard.

Kagome frowned and stood right back up. "I'm getting you some water."  
Inuyasha kept quietly repeating, "single, single, single" until Kagome brought him the water, which he downed in ten seconds flat.

"Thanks," he said after he'd finished. He stood up to put the glass in the sink but nearly fell.

"I'll take care of it," Kagome said quickly as she took the glass from him.

Inuyasha flopped back on the couch. "Kagome, I'm so sorry."

Kagome had a feeling he meant more than just the drunken visit.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked once she'd sat back down.

"I dump all my problems on you," he explained. "When I was dating my girlfriend and we had a problem, I would just put it on you. You're such a great friend and you're _so_ good at giving advice so I was like, why not?! Oh, wait, _that's_ why I came here! To tell you all that! I had forgotten."

Kagome fidgeted uncomfortably. "I don't mind," she assured him. "That's what friends are for." Inuyasha groaned. "You've become my best friend, Kagome," he reiterated. "Keh, sometimes I wonder if _you_ are the girl I should be with. And after what Miroku said tonight, well, maybe we _should_ be together!"

Kagome's eyes widened. "Um, well...you're drunk. You don't mean any of this." Kagome tried to keep her tone light and teasing, but her heart was constricting in a way that made it hard to breathe.

Inuyasha shook his head defiantly. "But I _do_ , Kagome," he insisted. "You really are my best friend and-"

"How about I get you more water?" Kagome suggested, cutting off whatever else he was about to say. She quickly refilled the glass and handed it to him. "You should probably head on to bed after you finish that."  
Inuyasha nodded before downing the water. "I'm sorry I came, Kagome," he said. "But I just needed to tell you."

Kagome had to laugh. "So you waited until two in the morning when you were drunk?"

Inuyasha grinned. "Not my finest moment but it's fine."

Kagome had to help him stagger to the door. When they reached it, Inuyasha turned around to look at her.

"Thank you, Kagome," he said seriously.

Kagome winced at the tone in his voice. "You already said that."

Inuyasha reached up to brush a lock of hair from her face. "I know. I just mean it that much."

His hand moved to gently cup her cheek. Kagome's heart began to race as Inuyasha leaned closer, closer, closer…

Before their lips could touch, Kagome turned away. He was drunk. She didn't want to take advantage of him, and it wasn't like it would mean anything to him anyway while he was in this state.

His lips barely grazed her cheek before he just pulled her into a simple hug.

She allowed the embrace to go on for a moment before she stepped back.

"Make sure you have a glass of water next to your bed," she instructed as he began to walk down the hall. "You're gonna have a killer hangover."

Inuyasha waved to her before stumbling into his suite.

When Kagome finally closed the door, her heart felt like it was going to explode. She'd never felt this way for a man before, and that's when she knew.

She was into him.

Like, _super_ into him.

Despite the whole showing-up-at-her-door-drunk-in-the-middle-of-the-night thing, she knew.

She couldn't say what sparked it, but something about the way he opened up to her and the way he'd shaken up her life and made things new and exciting collided. And she knew.

And like he had said multiple times, he was single. She wouldn't want him to jump right into it, but maybe in time…? She wouldn't fixate on it, but she would be open (and maybe hopeful?) to the possibility.

Would he?

O.o.O.o.O

The next morning at five fifty-eight, Kagome clocked in like usual. At five fifty-nine, Inuyasha walked in.

Ignoring the racing of her heart, Kagome smiled. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "Bad hangover?"

Inuyasha shook his head as he clocked in. "I feel like I got hit by a truck," he said. "I will _never_ drink that much again. I might never even drink again at all."

Kagome thought back to the near-kiss, wondering if he remembered.

Inuyasha paused and looked confused. "Wait, how did you know I'm hungover?"

Kagome was surprised. "Um, you don't remember? You came to my suite last night."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. "Okay, maybe I do remember. I downed a couple glasses of water and then had to pee like ten times." He chuckled.

Kagome peered at him. "Is that all you remember?"

Inuyasha looked concerned. "Did more happen?"

Kagome shook her head, figuring ignorance would be bliss for him.

Inuyasha looked relieved. "Good," he replied. "I'm glad I didn't do anything embarrassing. Well, except for showing up at your door in the middle of the night drunk. I'm so sorry, Kagome."

She waved him off. "Don't worry about it. At least you have cleaning today. No desk duty."

Inuyasha smirked. "The day is already looking better. See you at lunch."

Kagome waved as he walked out, feeling a block of cement settle in her stomach.

 _Don't think about it. He doesn't remember, and that's okay. Just don't think about it...he probably didn't mean anything he said about me, but it's fine!_

She kept her mantra of _it's fine, everything is fine_ going through her head, but it was hard to not think about the look that was in Inuyasha's eyes as he leaned down toward her, or the gentleness of his embrace.

It was eating her alive.

O.o.O.o.O.

Kagome found ways to suppress her newfound feelings. No, she wasn't trying to get over them, but she was trying to find a way to focus on other things.

She almost didn't realize just how much time she spent with Inuyasha until she finally admitted to herself that she had feelings for him. She wasn't complaining, but she was trying to keep it under wraps for the time being. He'd just ended his relationship with Kikyo, so Kagome didn't want to push him into anything.

When it finally came time for prom-planning to begin, Kagome was in a much better headspace. During those two weeks since the drunken encounter, Kagome was doing better. She could actually focus and function around Inuyasha at that point, so she had no complaints. She and Inuyasha's friendship had actually gotten stronger; single Inuyasha was much more positive than miserable-in-his-relationship Inuyasha. Kagome could sense of feeling of freedom radiating from him, and she was glad to see him looking more upbeat than she'd ever seen him.

The proms would definitely be a lot more fun now.

In the first prom meeting, Myoga established that the first one would be fairly easy. It was one for which they didn't have to supply decorations, so it was basically just helping set up and serving the pre-catered food.

The main dish was katsudon. Kagome didn't get why katsudon would be served at a high school prom, but she rolled with it anyway.

Things were looking up.

O.o.O.o.O

A few days after the first prom meeting, Kagome was on desk duty.

The last guest of her shift was a woman carrying a rather small suitcase. _Must be a pretty expensive, short stay_ , Kagome noticed _._ But she wasn't judging.

She was a beautiful woman, with creamy skin and long, straight black hair with soft bangs framing her face. Blue eyes, fairly similar to Kagome's but a bit darker, looked around the lobby as she made her way up to the desk.

"Good morning, ma'am," Kagome greeted. "How can I help you?" The woman smiled.

"I need to check in please," she replied politely. Kagome pulled up the check-in form on the computer.

"Do you have a reservation?" she asked. She could have sworn the woman blushed.

"Um, no," she replied sheepishly. "This was a rather…spontaneous visit. Is it okay to check-in without having made a reservation?" Kagome nodded.

"Let me check our availability," she said as she pulled up the information on any vacant rooms. "How long are you staying?" The woman paused.

"Just one night please," she replied. Kagome found a vacant room and began to book it for the woman.

"I have a room available," Kagome informed her. "What's your last name?"

"Sunohara," the woman replied.

"And I'll just need your contact information and then you'll be all set, Ms. Sunohara," Kagome explained.

The woman nodded. "Thank you."

After getting the necessary information, Kagome handed Ms. Sunohara her room key.

"You're in room seven-twenty-one," she said. "Enjoy your stay and don't hesitate to reach out to any member of our staff if you need anything."

The woman smiled again. "Thank you so much," she replied as she took the room key and picked up her suitcase.

Kagome didn't see Inuyasha for lunch, which was odd, but she shrugged it off. He'd probably gotten caught up with prom planning. He was in charge of security, which was a big job.

After she'd washed her lunch dishes and started to head up clean, she got a text from Inuyasha.

 **I'm so sorry to do this, but something came up so I can't do dinner tonight.**

Kagome figured her assumption about the security stuff was correct, so she wasn't surprised about the cancellation.

 **No worries. Everything good?**

A moment later, another text came in from Inuyasha.

 **Yep, all good.**

Satisfied that Inuyasha was fine, Kagome went about her cleaning duties. She finished around five, so she went up to her suite to quickly shower and blow dry her hair before coming back downstairs to the employee kitchen to make herself dinner. She walked in to see a woman sitting in the kitchen.

Kagome recognized her as the woman that had checked-in this morning.

"Ms. Sunohara?" Kagome asked. "I'm sorry, but this is a staff-only room." Ms. Sunohara smiled.

"Oh, I'm waiting for-" she was cut off by a heart-wrenching voice.

"You ready to go? I finished the last-" Inuyasha's sentence was cut off when he walked in and saw Kagome.

"Hey," he greeted, a strange tone underlying his voice.

 _What's going on?_ Kagome wondered. _Does he know this guest?_

Kagome looked from him to Ms. Sunohara in confusion, an innate _something is weird about this_ feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

Motioning to Kagome, Inuyasha addressed Ms. Sunohara. "This is Kagome, the friend I told you about." Ms. Sunohara smiled at Kagome.

Inuyasha finally looked back at Kagome, a smile on his face but a conflicted look in his eyes.

"Kagome, this is Kikyo."

To be continued…

Again, I am so sorry for such a long break between chapters! This is truly one of my most favorite stories I've ever written (and this is the longest single chapter I've ever written; phew, can you say writer's cramp?), and it will be much easier from now on. No more year-long breaks in updating. ;)

Much love.


	5. No Reservations

My hands almost fell off from how long it took to type this beast of a chapter. Buckle up, kids. Here comes the romantic angst (but you'll like the ending, I promise).

Sorry for the previous cliffhanger. I hope this chapter makes up for it :)

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

 **Chapter 5: No Reservations**

"Kagome, this is Kikyo."

 _WHY IS SHE HERE?_

Kagome's eyes widened as she looked from Inuyasha to Ms. Sunohara, apparently Kikyo, and felt an unpleasant shocked feeling run through her. Quickly covering it up, she smiled at Kikyo and bowed slightly.

"Nice to meet you," she said politely.

Kikyo half-smiled. "You as well. Inuyasha has told me so much about you."

Kagome shifted awkwardly. "Hopefully good things," she joked.

Chuckling slightly, Kikyo nodded. "Of course."

They fell into an awkward silence.

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, only to find him cringing.

"Well," Inuyasha finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "we should probably get going. I'm sorry again that I had to cancel our dinner plans. Kikyo is only here for one night, so this is the only free evening we have."

Kagome shook her head and plastered a smile on her face. "I totally understand. Don't worry about it."

Kikyo stood up from the table and politely smiled at Kagome. "It was nice meeting you."

Kagome nodded back at her.

"See you later," Inuyasha said.

"See you later," Kagome echoed.

They finally left, and that's when Kagome was actually able to take in a full breath of air.

 _What just happened? Why is she here? What what what?_

It took her a moment to compose herself enough to pull out her phone and dial a number.

"Sango, can you come to the hotel? There's a situation."

Thirty minutes later, Sango was sitting in Kagome's suite on the opposite side of her couch as Kagome told her about the arrival of Kikyo that morning. Her distress only increased as she relayed the event of officially meeting her with Inuyasha not too much earlier.

"But they broke up so I don't know why she would be here!" Kagome informed in dismay.

"Okay…so why is this bothering you so much?" Sango asked, eyeing Kagome's obvious distress over the interactions.

Kagome sheepishly looked at her. _Oh, yeah…I forgot I hadn't told her about my…dilemma._

Sango gasped, Kagome's silence explaining enough.

"You're in love with Inuyasha!"

Kagome shrieked. " _Shh!_ Do you want the entire hotel to know? And I'm not in love with him...I just have a little crush!" Sango looked at Kagome in disbelief.

"How long have you felt that way?" she asked. Kagome sighed.

"It's been a while," she admitted. "We had a...moment a few weeks ago. I think that's what sparked it." Sango shrieked.

" _What?_ "

Kagome shushed her again.

"Sango! Hush!" Sango shook her head.

"Tell me everything. From the beginning."

So Kagome did.

When she was done explaining, Sango shook her head.

"That's a lot. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't say anything because I thought I could ignore it and then it would fade eventually."

Sango frowned. "But it didn't, right?" she guessed. Kagome groaned.

"It's only gotten worse," she muttered. "They broke up and I finally stopped feeling as horrifically guilty for thinking it was maybe possible that I might kinda sorta have a thing for him and thought, huh, maybe someday something could happen." She groaned. "Sango, they broke up! Why is she here?"

Sango sighed. "I don't know, Kagome. I couldn't tell you." Kagome grabbed a pillow and put it up to her face.

After screaming into it for a moment, she removed it to see Sango watching her in concern.

"I've never seen you like this, Kagome," she said, her voice leaking worry. "Are you sure you're not in love with him?"

Kagome paused.

 _Nope. Nope. Nope. Not thinking about that. Besides, it's_ way _too soon to already be in love, right...?_

"No," she finally replied, not sure if she was lying to herself or not. "But...it still hurts."

Sango reached out and put her hand over Kagome's in a comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," she said. "That really sucks." Kagome shook her head.

"I just need to snap out of it," she scolded herself. "Wallowing in self-pity isn't going to get me anywhere." Sango smiled and stood up.

"Do you have any cake mix?" she asked. "I think a big cake with extra frosting is warranted for a night like tonight." Kagome finally laughed.

"I think that sounds great," she agreed. "Cake mix is above the stove."

.o.O.o.

Her night with Sango, and that big cake, had helped Kagome feel a lot better. Maybe it was all the chocolate making her crazy, but she felt semi-okay with everything.

It would all be fine. After all, it wasn't like Inuyasha and Kikyo were dating. Maybe she'd come to visit as a friend or...something? Kagome tried not to focus on it.

The next day at lunch, Kagome was making PBJ sandwiches when Inuyasha walked into the staff kitchen.

Kagome glanced at him and smiled. "Hey. How was your night?"

When he didn't answer immediately, Kagome turned around to see him sitting at the table with a distant look on his face.

He avoided her gaze as he spoke.

"Kikyo and I got back together."

Kagome couldn't stop the widening of her eyes in shock or the beat her heart skipped at his words.

"Oh," she said, trying to sound casual. "That's good."

Inuyasha finally looked up at her and their eyes locked. He looked troubled, as if there were an internal conflict lingering under the surface.

"Yeah," he finally said hesitantly. "She flew out here by surprise as a last ditch effort, and it worked. So...yeah."

Squashing all the surprise, sadness, hurt, and whatever else she was feeling in the moment that she didn't want to name, Kagome forced a smile. "Well, good. I'm glad you're happy."

Inuyasha gazed into her eyes for a moment, as if debating what he wanted to say next.

"Yeah," was all he said.

A silence fell between them. Before either of them could break it, Miroku entered the room.

He walked in with a smile that quickly vanished at the sight of a somber Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Whoa," he said as he took them in. "It looks like something rained on your parade. Is everything okay?"

Kagome ripped her gaze from Inuyasha's as she plastered a smile on her face and turned to Miroku.

"Yep," she chirped, faking a cheerful tone. "All good."

She slapped the second piece of bread on her and Inuyasha's sandwiches.

"Sandwich for ya," Kagome said as she set Inuyasha's plate in front of him.

Appetite gone, Kagome handed her plate to Miroku.

"I'm gonna go ahead and get back to work," she said. "Here you go. I'll see you guys later."

She booked it out of there.

For the first time since she'd met Inuyasha, she felt tears in her eyes.

She decided to just throw herself into work. She was cleaning that afternoon, so she tried to focus on putting all of her thoughts into the work.

It didn't help.

She found a few trinkets and a single shoe, which only served as a reminder of Inuyasha and when she had taught him how to clean the rooms.

As she felt the first few tears fall, she wiped them away quickly and took a deep breath.

 _I'm not going to be miserable over a guy_ , she resolved. _I'm better than this. It'll be okay. It'll blow over. Everything will be alright._

o.O.o.O.o

To say Inuyasha was having a weird day would be the understatement of the year.

He knew he should've woken up happy that morning.

He should have enjoyed getting to have breakfast with Kikyo.

He should have been pleased to kiss her again.

He should have been relieved that they had gotten back together.

And he was...to an extent.

Sure, he was really freaking glad that he and Kikyo wouldn't be constantly fighting and that she wouldn't be leaving him those subtle, underhanded text messages that made him question who he was as a person if he weren't with her.

Kikyo wasn't perfect, but neither was he. Not in the slightest.

It's what he'd liked about her so much in the beginning. Their imperfections complemented each other's. His laid-back demeanor balanced out her somewhat neurotic personality, and her level-headed thinking balanced out his quick temper. It just worked.

Until it didn't.

He knew things would change when he moved, but not like this.

He loved his job and his coworkers. Getting to see Kagome was often the highlight of his day; she was his best friend in this town, maybe even in his life.

But today…

Today was weird.

It wasn't until after she all but fled the kitchen after practically throwing sandwiches at himself and Miroku that Inuyasha noticed she was being just as weird as the day was.

"It seems like someone's in a hurry," Miroku commented as he sat down with his sandwich. He looked at Inuyasha from across the table. "You alright?"

Inuyasha nodded before pushing his plate away. "You can have mine, too," he said as he stood up. "See you later."

He didn't have to clock back in for another thirty minutes, so he went to his favorite spot.

It was in the employee hallway where he and Kagome would play hide-and-seek almost every night. Well, not as much lately, but this was still his favorite spot. It was smack in the middle of the lobby and the pool, which is where he'd spent two of his most iconic moments in the hotel: checking in for the first time when he'd moved here and seeing Kagome really take charge during the issue with the pool.

As he sat down against the wall in the hallway, he took a deep breath. He didn't know why he felt so weird about everything.

Kagome suddenly came to his mind…

 _What's this weird feeling I have?_ he mused silently. _I can't figure out why I'm feeling like this…could it be possible that I have feelings for Kagome? It would explain why I feel like a conflicted idiot._

His eyes widened.

Before he could think about it anymore, his phone dinged from his pocket. Upon pulling it out, he saw a text from Kikyo waiting for him.

 **Miss you already. Can't wait to see you again, honey.**

Inuyasha paused before he typed back a reply.

 **You too, baby.**

He tucked the phone back in his pocket before closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall. _I'm with Kikyo,_ he scolded himself. _I'm happy with her. I_ don't _have romantic feelings for Kagome._

Inuyasha had been working at the hotel for just under two months, but it felt like forever. He'd never worked in a place where it was so easy to get accustomed to the environment and the overall atmosphere. He had to credit Kagome with the majority of his adjustments. He was actually _happy_ here. It had been a long time since he'd felt that way.

Sure, he'd been happy back where he used to live working at the paper company, but that was just because of Kikyo. He'd hated the boring, mundane work and the boring, irritating coworkers he had to deal with on the daily.

He was just grateful he'd found the hotel.

But none of that meant he had feelings for Kagome.

But there was still a small pang of confliction in the pit of his stomach.

Standing up to return to his shift, he sighed and shook his head. _It'll pass_ , he assured himself. _It's only weird if you make it weird, and I'm not going to make it weird._

With that, he got back to work.

O.o.O.o.O

At dinner that night, Kagome was relieved to see Inuyasha. She'd been worried she might've scared him off by how weird she'd been acting earlier, but she was happy to see his usual smile. He didn't seem as conflicted as he had at lunch. She nearly sighed in relief, but she just smiled at him.

Somehow she'd been able to reign in her previous upset, so she was feeling a lot better.

o.O.o

The next two-and-a-half months passed quickly, and the first prom began looming before them. The whole hotel was buzzing with anticipation. Inuyasha had started to seem a little intimidated by everything, but Kagome made sure to help him with whatever he had questions about.

Kagome and Inuyasha had settled back into their easy friendship. Kagome's feelings had subsided, which had taken a while, but she'd been able to do it. It still hurt sometimes, but she was handling it well.

Three weeks before the first prom, Kagome was in the kitchen about to start preparing dinner when Inuyasha walked in to join her.

"Hey," she greeted. "How does salad sound for dinner?"

Inuyasha pretended to frown. "You're going to feed me lettuce and call it a meal?"

Kagome laughed. "I'll put grilled chicken and other vegetables on it."

Her silver-haired coworker chuckled. "No thanks. I'll cook tonight. It's about time I took a turn anyway. How about my famous ramen?" Kagome could practically feel her mouth watering already.

"Yes, for sure," she replied. "But are you actually going to tell me your secret ingredient this time?"

Inuyasha smirked as he began pulling out a pot and ramen packets. "In your dreams, woman."

As Inuyasha boiled the ramen and worked his magic, Kagome pulled out bowls and forks.

About ten minutes later, the ramen was ready. Kagome and Inuyasha filled their bowls and sat down at the table.

Kagome took a huge bite and hummed in appreciation. "This is great," she said after she'd swallowed.

Inuyasha laughed. "And you got on to me for taking big bites before...hmm, how the tables have turned." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Me taking a slightly bigger bite is _way_ different than you downing half the bowl at once," she pointed out. "Plus, it's really good. I can't help myself."

Inuyasha chuckled as they continued eating.

"So are you ready for the first prom?" Inuyasha asked. "It's coming up pretty quickly."

Kagome nodded. "Yep," she replied. "The planning has been smoother than we could have hoped for. All we really have to do is do what the kids say they need help with when they're decorating and then monitor the rest of the time. They have a katsudon buffet, so we don't even have to serve."

Inuyasha heaved a sigh of relief. "Good," he replied. "This is my first prom so I'm glad it won't be too hard to get the hang of things. Well, not at first anyway."

Soon after they finished dinner and Kagome had started washing the dishes, Totosai walked in.

"I have good news," he announced when he entered the kitchen.

"Hey, Totosai," Kagome greeted. "What is it?"

"I've hired a temporary employee to help out during the proms," he explained. "He'll be starting next week, so luckily he'll have just enough time to get acquainted with everyone and caught up on the prom schedule."

Pondering the idea, Kagome frowned. "He's only getting two weeks to learn the ropes? That seems a little...difficult. It'll be nice to have extra hands, but do you think it's possible?"

Totosai smiled and nodded. "He's coming from a security job, so he knows how these sort of assignments work. He should be here soon. I'll let you know when he's arrived."

"Sounds great," Kagome replied, relieved that it wouldn't be a complete disaster.

Totosai nodded. "I figured since we have four back-to-back proms, it would be a good idea. It will definitely alleviate some of the stress. He's only temporary, so after the four proms are over, he will depart from the hotel. I believe he's moving somewhere else, so he took up this job for the time between now and when he can find a new place."

Miroku entered the room as Totosai finished explaining. "Are we getting a new employee?"

Kagome nodded. "We have a temp for the proms," she replied.

Miroku breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great," he said. "I'm worn out already and we haven't even had the first one yet."

Totosai chuckled. "Well, don't worry too much, Miroku. This should make it at least a little easier on you all. I'm going to head back to the desk to greet him when he arrives. See you all in a little while."

Miroku sat down at the table and grinned. "I can't believe I wore him down."

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at him. "What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

Miroku glanced at the door as if checking to make sure Totosai was truly gone. He looked back at Kagome and Inuyasha before lowering his voice to just above a whisper.

"I planted the idea of extra hands for prom about a month ago," he explained quietly. "I _casually_ brought up the financial aspect of it and worked my charming magic. I can't believe he actually did it, though." Miroku chuckled smugly. "So I guess you have me to thank for this."

Kagome laughed and got up to wash her and Inuyasha's dinner dishes. "Well, thank you, Miroku. You've made our jobs easier."

When the last of the dishes were settled in the drying rack, Kagome wiped her hands on a dish towel. "Do you guys want brownies? It might make a good impression on the new employee."

Inuyasha's eyes lit up. "Yes. Make them now." Kagome burst out laughing.

"Aye, aye, captain," she teased as she pulled out the ingredients.

A little while later, as Kagome put the brownies in the oven and set the timer, Totosai returned with a guy Kagome figured was the new employee.

He was tall, with piercing blue eyes and long black hair pulled up in a ponytail. He looked around the kitchen before his gaze settled on Kagome. He gave her a smile that, to Kagome's surprise, made her heart skip a little.

But just a little.

Totosai smiled at his employees. "I would like for you all to meet our new employee," he announced. "This is Koga. He'll be helping with our four proms."

Kagome and Miroku bowed at their new coworker.

"Nice to meet you," Miroku greeted.

"Welcome to the hotel," Kagome chimed in.

Inuyasha nodded a silent greeting. Kagome glanced at him, uncertain at the sudden change in his demeanor, but she figured he was like that with all new people. It was certainly better than when he had met her.

Koga bowed back. "It's good to be here," he replied, his voice gruff but friendly. "I'm looking forward to working here and getting to know you all."

His gaze lingered on Kagome when he said that, and she felt her cheeks warm slightly.

 _He sure is confident,_ she noted silently.

Totosai began to explain Koga's role as an additional security guard.

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha when Totosai said that; Inuyasha was heading up security, so he would have to spend quite a bit of time with Koga.

The look on Inuyasha's face was one she'd never seen on him before. It was subtle, so she knew she was picking up on it solely because she knew him so well.

He looked irritated and severely displeased by Koga's presence. Kagome made a mental note to ask him about it later.

The oven dinged as the timer went off. "I made brownies," Kagome said as she grabbed an oven mitt and pulled the pan of brownies out. "Help yourselves."

She passed out plates of brownies to everyone but kept a sharp eye on Inuyasha. He was practically glaring at his plate as he took small bites of his piece.

He pretty much stayed that way the rest of the evening until Totosai finally invited Koga to head out with him.

"Since he's a temp," he explained, "he'll be staying here for the time being." Totosai motioned to the door. "I'll show you your suite."

Koga nodded before turning back to the other employees. "It was nice meeting you all," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Kagome didn't miss the extra smile he tossed her way.

She was more embarrassed than anything, but she couldn't deny she was also a little flattered.

Kagome saw Miroku glance at Inuyasha, as if noticing his unusual demeanor. He gave Kagome a questioning look, to which she just shook her head and half-shrugged.

"Thanks for the brownies, Kagome," Miroku said. "I'm going to head out now. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Kagome waved to him as he walked out of the kitchen. When he was gone, she sat down in the chair across from Inuyasha.

"So," she began, pulling his gaze up and onto her. "Hide-and-seek?"

Inuyasha finally smiled. "You're on."

Later that night, Kagome and Inuyasha were taking a break after their third game of hide-and-seek.

Kagome tried to catch her breath from running as she sat down on the floor in the employee hallway. Inuyasha mimicked her movements and leaned against the wall across from her so they were facing each other.

"Um, so what was up earlier?" Kagome finally asked. Inuyasha looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you seemed kinda...displeased when we were meeting the new guy."

Inuyasha frowned at the mention of their new coworker.

"You're just imagining things," he replied as he looked away from her. "He was certainly nice to _you_ , though." Kagome frowned back at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Nothing, just forget it."

Kagome peered at him. "But-"

"Just forget about it," he repeated. "Honestly, Kagome, it's fine." He glanced at his watch. "It's pretty late anyway. We should probably head upstairs."

Kagome nodded, deciding to just drop it.

The walk and elevator ride up to their floor was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Inuyasha just seemed lost in thought. Kagome decided not to pry. _We all get like that sometimes._

Kagome's door came first. "Good night," she said as she pulled out her key card. "See you in the morning."

Inuyasha's eyes lingered on her for a moment before he finally began to make his way down the hall. "Good night, Kagome."

Kagome eyed him for a moment as he walked down the hall. _Man, he must really hate that Koga guy,_ she realized silently. _But why though?_

Deciding to drop the subject until whenever it came up again, Kagome made her way into her suite and got ready for bed.

A little while later after she'd finished her nightly routine, she laid down in her bed and thought back on the day.

 _Koga seems nice,_ she thought to herself. _He seems to be teetering the line between confident and cocky, but not in a bad way. It's almost kind of funny._

She sighed. Inuyasha certainly hadn't thought it was funny.

Kagome didn't get what had rubbed him wrong with Koga. Maybe Inuyasha just didn't like having his routine thrown off. Kagome had known plenty of people like that in her life, so maybe he was one of them.

She settled herself under covers as she began to fall asleep.

 _I'll just try to keep everything else as it normally is,_ she resolved. _Maybe that'll help._

Finally feeling somewhat peaceful, Kagome succumbed to a pleasant slumber.

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha couldn't sleep.

After an hour of tossing and turning, he finally sat up and got out of bed.

The sound of his feet pattering on the ground broke the silence in his suite as he made his way to the kitchenette to get a glass of water.

He downed it in seconds and took way longer than necessary to wash, dry, and put away the glass. When that was done, he went back to his bedroom and made a second attempt to go to sleep.

It just wasn't working.

He was ridiculously put-off by that new employee. For some reason, Inuyasha hated Koga as soon as he'd walked in and started acting like he owned the place.

 _Get a grip!_ he scolded himself. _You don't even know him!_

Inuyasha huffed as he tried to get comfortable in his bed.

The little moments of Koga's eyes lingering on Kagome, of her blushing at the extra attention, and the overall stifling vibe between them had his skin crawling.

But he didn't know why.

 _Things are normal now. I don't need to be rocking the boat. You_ don't _have feelings for Kagome. I settled this a long time ago. I just need to get over myself._

Inuyasha's phone dinged from his night table. He sighed, knowing it was from Kikyo.

 **I hope you had a great day. Good night, my love.**

He groaned.

Why wasn't he happy?

Why couldn't he sleep?

Why did everything feel so _wrong?_

It was like his weird feelings from two-and-a-half months ago were coming right back as if they had never really been gone.

Inuyasha quickly typed back a short good night message before practically throwing the phone back down.

A heavy sigh escaped him as he rolled over and tried yet again to fall asleep.

It was a long night.

The next morning, Inuyasha walked down to clock-in at the usual time. He found Kagome already clocking in. To his surprise and slight displeasure, he felt his stomach twist.

"Good morning," she greeted brightly. He tried to smile, but from the change on her face, it obviously didn't work.

"You alright?" she asked.

Inuyasha nodded. "Just a little tired. And I have desk duty."

Kagome pretended to look troubled. "I am so sorry. What a tragedy."

That elicited a genuine smile from Inuyasha.

They parted ways soon after, and Inuyasha suffered through the morning.

 _Shake it off!_ he scolded himself. _You're acting like a child._

By the time lunch came around, Inuyasha moved his brooding to the staff kitchen.

He decided to make his famous soup. It had been a while and he figured it might help lift his mood.

As he got the ingredients and started cooking, he tried to pinpoint what exactly was eating away at him. _I'm just tired,_ he assured himself. _Things are busy with prom planning. I'm just tired from that._

He frowned and continued with his soup.

Inuyasha practically jumped out of his skin when Kagome walked in.

"Sorry," she said, amusement evident in her eyes. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Inuyasha focused back on stirring his soup. "Keh, you didn't."

Kagome laughed and came to peek in the pot.

"I'm making my famous soup," he explained.

Kagome feigned surprise. "You're cooking _again?_ It must be my lucky day!"

Inuyasha scoffed. "You act like I never cook." He tried to hide his smile.

A look of fake remorse came to Kagome's face. "Oops, sorry. You do cook...sometimes."

The soup had come to the proper boil, which meant it was almost ready.

Inuyasha waved Kagome off. "Whatever, woman. Find your seat. It'll be done in a few minutes."

Kagome giggled before grabbing bowls and spoons from the cabinet. "The least I can do is help a little. Here are bowls and stuff." Inuyasha nodded his thanks.

Kagome sat down at the table and waited for Inuyasha to join her.

About two minutes later, the soup was ready. Inuyasha gave it one final stir and then ladled it into two bowls. He brought them over to the table and set one down in front of Kagome.

She picked up her spoon and blew on it before taking a bite.

"Yum," she said once she'd swallowed.

Inuyasha felt his breath catch.

He didn't know why, but there was something different here. They'd shared soup before, sure, but something felt different this time.

There was something in the way he felt watching her eat the soup he'd learned from his mother. Kagome had a carefree aura about her, which he'd suspected had been lacking lately. He'd been wanting to ask why she'd been so off, but he wasn't sure how to approach it.

That had been a little over a month ago, though. Now that she seemed back to normal, Inuyasha was the one spazzing out.

 _What's happening?_

Kagome glanced up to find Inuyasha watching her.

"What is it?" she asked. "Did I get soup on my face?" She quickly wiped at her chin.

Inuyasha shook his head. "No," he replied. "I just...well, Kagome, I've been thinking..." _What am I doing? Where am I going with this?_ "Well, uh…"

He was cut off by a loud voice as someone walked into the kitchen.

"Well, hello there, Kagome!" Koga greeted as he took the seat next to her.

Inuyasha bristled, his mood plummeting further.

Koga turned to Inuyasha next. "Hey, Inuyasha. How goes it?"

For Kagome's sake, Inuyasha tried to fake a smile.

"Hey," was all he said.

Koga turned back to Kagome. "You look lovely today, Kagome." His bright blue eyes were focused on her. His gaze was clear, obviously lively and confident.

Inuyasha hated it.

Kagome seemed caught off-guard by the compliment, but she didn't try to brush it off. "Um, thank you."

That time, Inuyasha couldn't hide his frown.

"So, uh, how's your day been?" Kagome asked, obviously trying to change the subject. "Do you like the hotel?"

Koga nodded. "It's going to take a while to get the hang of things, but I think I'll be alright. Totosai said I would be with Inuyasha the majority of the time, so I'll be good."

Inuyasha froze before his head whipped up to stare at him. "What?"

Koga looked at him. "Yeah, since I'm doing security with you. Did he not mention that?"

 _Stay cool, stay cool, stay cool._

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nope. I guess he forgot."

Kagome, ever perceptive, seemed to notice the tension.

"Inuyasha got to know the hotel really quickly when he started," Kagome interjected. "He knows the place really well now. He'll be a big help to you."

Despite his irritation, he had the stupid urge to blush.

 _What is wrong with me?_

Kagome gave Inuyasha a pointed look that obviously said _Be nice._

Inuyasha frowned at her and looked at Koga. "I'll do my best."

Totosai walked into the kitchen and smiled at the three of them. "Hello, everyone. How are things going today?"

Koga smiled at him. "Going well so far. I mentioned that I'd be working with Inuyasha."

Totosai put a hand to his forehead. "I completely forgot to ask you, Inuyasha. Would you be okay showing Koga around for the week and sticking with him? Now that we're planning for prom, I figure it would be easier for you two to stay together. He'll be working security with you, after all."

Inuyasha nodded. "Sure." It wasn't like he could say no now anyway. Might as well suck it up.

Totosai smiled. "Thank you." He turned to Koga. "Normally I put new people with Kagome, but I figured the change would be best. You can always ask her for help if you need it, though." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Okay, I need to get back. I'll see you all later."

After he left, Koga smiled at Kagome. "Well, Kagome, I must say I'm a little disappointed that I won't be working with you."

 _The audacity, the ridiculousness, the forward, arrogant, obnoxious-_

"Inuyasha is great," Kagome countered. "You're in good hands." She smiled at Inuyasha for good measure. He managed a half-smile back.

Kagome stood up from the table. "Do you want some soup, Koga? Inuyasha made some for lunch. It's the best soup you'll ever have."

Koga smiled. "I'd love some. Thank you, Kagome."

Inuyasha's fists clenched under the table. Why was Kagome offering _his_ soup to _Koga?_

He discreetly took a deep breath. _Get it together, man. Get over yourself._

Once Kagome had put a bowl in front of Koga and resumed eating her own soup, Koga began asking Inuyasha every possible question about the security plans.

Grateful for any topic _other_ than Koga blatantly flirting with Kagome, Inuyasha began filling him in.

They talked about it for the rest of the lunch break. Inuyasha had room-cleaning that afternoon, so he got up to wash the bowls and spoons before clocking back in.

"Alright, I'd better get back," Kagome announced after Inuyasha took her bowl and began washing.

"See you for dinner?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome smiled brightly at him.

"Of course," she replied. "See you then."

She seemed to hesitate for a moment before gently setting a hand on his arm. If anyone would pick up on his weird mood, of course it would be Kagome.

She gave him a questioning look, hinting at her obvious concern. Inuyasha shook his head and managed a smile.

"Have fun with desk duty," he said.

Kagome finally smiled back and dropped her hand. "I always do," she replied before turning to Koga. "See you later, Koga. Have a nice rest of your day."

Koga smiled at her. "Bye, Kagome."

Inuyasha was a little surprised that Koga hadn't added any sort of idiotic underlying flirtatious remark, but he wasn't complaining.

After Kagome had left, Koga spoke again.

"Hey, man. I want to apologize."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he looked at Koga. _What the heck?_

"Uh, why?" Inuyasha asked.

Koga looked embarrassed. "Well, I was kinda flirting with Kagome. She's really cute and seems like a great person...but I didn't realize you two were dating. I wasn't trying to undermine or anything, so I'm sorry. I'll lay off."

Inuyasha nearly dropped his dishes as he dried them. "We're not dating," he said quickly.

Koga seemed surprised. "Oh, wow. Okay, sorry, it just seemed like it. I got a vibe today, but I guess I was wrong."

 _A vibe?_ Inuyasha was shocked.

A moment later, Koga spoke again. "So...do you know if she's dating anyone? I'm thinking about maybe asking her out." Inuyasha paused as he tried to calm down.

 _Why is all this bothering me so much? Why am I being such a weirdo today?_

"She's not," he replied curtly.

Koga smiled. "Well, great. That's good to hear."

Inuyasha didn't answer him as he silently resumed drying his dishes.

Koga left soon after, as did Inuyasha. As the silver-haired man went to start cleaning, he tried to figure out what he was feeling.

Something was definitely off. He didn't understand what he was feeling.

 _Am I...jealous?_

He was grateful that he was alone. His cheeks felt hot and his eyes had widened to what he knew was an almost unnatural size.

When he finished his shift, he sent Kagome a text saying he couldn't make it to dinner. He went straight up to his room and laid down on his couch.

Yep, he was jealous.

And that wasn't good.

Something weird was stirring and festering inside him. It was even worse than before.

He sent a text to Kikyo asking if she could give him a call as soon as she got the chance.

Ten minutes later, his phone rang and he answered immediately.

"Hi, honey," she greeted. "Is everything okay?' Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. _Is this the right thing to do? Should I do it? Maybe I shouldn't...but..._

He took a deep breath and finally answered her.

"Kikyo, I need to tell you something."

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome noticed that Koga seemed to be settling in easily.

She had to admit he was pretty nice when he wasn't blatantly flirting with her which in turn got Inuyasha riled up. On more than one occasion, she thought Inuyasha was going to deck him. She couldn't imagine how it must be with the two of them working together.

It was very confusing. She didn't understand why Inuyasha hated him so much.

The day after Koga officially started, Kagome was waiting for Inuyasha to meet her in the kitchen for dinner. Before Inuyasha made it down, Koga walked in.

"Hey, Kagome," he greeted.

Kagome smiled at him. "Hey. How's it going?"

Koga sat down at the table. "It's going. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to get the hang of this hotel, but Inuyasha's been helpful."

Kagome nodded and walked over to the pantry. "That's great. Where is Inuyasha, by the way? Isn't he supposed to be with you?"

"Bathroom," Koga replied. "I figured I would come meet you here and say hi before he comes back."

Kagome glanced at him. "You can stay for dinner if you want." Koga shook his head.

"Nah, but thanks," he replied. "I know you and Inuyasha are close, so I don't want to impede on your time together."

Kagome was actually a little touched by his thoughtfulness. "That's very kind of you, but you can certainly join us whenever you would like."

Koga smiled. "I normally rest after we finish anyway," he explained. "I get dinner later at night."

His smile brightened. "But...I would love to have dinner with you sometime. Maybe Friday night?"

Kagome nodded. "Inuyasha and I have dinner here almost every night, so I'm sure we'll be here on Friday for you to join us."

Koga chuckled. "I kind of just meant you and me. Maybe we could go out to dinner?"

Kagome was shocked. She knew he flirted with her a lot, but she hadn't expected him to actually ask her out on a date.

"Um, sure," she replied. _Why not? He's nice enough._ Koga smiled.

"Great," he said. "We can talk later this week and figure out where, okay?"

Kagome nodded.

"I'll see you later," Koga said before he left.

Kagome's surprise didn't fade anytime soon.

 _He's handsome and really nice, but…_

She shook her head. Now was _not_ the time to start thinking about Inuyasha. It was time to move on to a guy that was actually interested in her. Kagome had been doing so well getting over things, and this was just one more step.

Kagome had a date, and she was going to enjoy it, dang it!

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she began to pull out the rest of the things she would need to cook dinner.

What she didn't realize was that the silver-haired, golden-eyed friend of hers was standing right outside the kitchen, having heard everything that had transpired before going right back upstairs.

o.O.o

Later that evening, after waiting for Inuyasha for a solid thirty minutes after their usual time, Kagome sent him a text.

 **Hey, I have dinner ready. Are you coming to eat?**

Kagome got a response a few minutes later.

 **It's been a long day and I'm pretty tired. I have some ramen up here that I'll eat. See you tomorrow.**

Kagome was confused. It wasn't like Inuyasha to flake out on dinner.

But he did have a big job for the proms. It made sense that he would be exhausted.

As she lay down for bed that night, she mused over the weird way Inuyasha had been acting lately.

 _He's so mopey sometimes. I can tell he's trying to hide it, but I know him too well to not notice it. Maybe something happened with his girlfriend?_

Kagome rolled over and scolded herself. _It's not your business to ask about her. If Inuyasha wants to talk about it, he can bring it up himself and I'll be supportive. Plus, if it were his girlfriend, he probably would have brought it up by now._

She sighed. Whatever the problem was, she decided she would just let him bring it up himself.

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha could tell Kagome knew something was up with him. As much as he felt guilty for not telling her, he just couldn't.

It didn't help that he had to spend the majority of his time with Koga, who was easily one of the most obnoxious people he'd ever met in his life.

He constantly asked questions about the security plan, he always greeted everyone they passed, and he was overall just an annoying person.

Okay, so Inuyasha was overacting a little.

 _He's_ supposed _to ask questions,_ he scolded himself. _He's_ supposed _to greet guests. He's literally just doing his job._

But that didn't mean Inuyasha had to like him.

The day before Kagome's date with Koga, they were eating lunch together like usual.

Ten minutes into the meal, Inuyasha had yet to say anything. He heard a frustrated sigh as Kagome appeared to finally start losing her patience.

"Alright," Kagome said. "What's going on? You've been acting weird for days. I get that we all feel emo sometimes, but this is crazy." Her eyes softened with concern. "Are you okay?"

Inuyasha could only look at her for a moment, his thoughts muddled with a thousand emotions.

 _I'm screwed now…_

"I-"

"Well, hello there, Kagome!"

Inuyasha could have ripped his head off.

Barely stifling the growl that threatened to escape, he looked up at Koga with a harsh glare.

Koga didn't even notice; he was too busy smiling at Kagome.

"Hi, Koga," Kagome replied. "How are you?"

Koga's smile widened somehow. "I'm just great now that I've seen you." He motioned to Inuyasha. "The big man has been helping out so much."

Inuyasha grimaced. "I mean, it's my job."

Koga seemed a bit put off at his cold tone, but he kept his smile up.

Instead of answering Inuyasha, Koga turned to Kagome. "I can't wait for tomorrow night."

His phone chimed from his pocket. After pulling it out and reading what Inuyasha assumed was a text, Koga announced he had to go.

"I just wanted to say hi before I met up with Totosai. He's ready for me to meet him, so I'm heading out. I'll see you guys later."

He flashed Kagome one more brilliant smile before leaving the room.

An awkward silence came over Kagome and Inuyasha.

Inuyasha finally looked up at her. She was staring at her food.

"So…"

She grimaced as she looked back at him. "So…?"

It became a staredown.

"You have a thing with Koga tomorrow?" he asked innocently, feigning oblivion.

Kagome hesitated. "Uh, yeah. He asked me to dinner."

Of course Inuyasha had known that, but it somehow hurt more hearing her say it.

"Cool."

Silence fell over them again.

"Um, did you still want to talk about what was bothering you?" she finally asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nope, all good."

Obviously unconvinced, Kagome left it alone. Instead, she brought up the first prom that was happening the next weekend. Inuyasha was grateful for the topic change. Work was something he could talk about.

But honestly, talking was the last thing he felt like doing.

When their lunch break was up, Inuyasha stood up and grabbed Kagome's plate to wash with his own.

Kagome hesitated near the doorway as Inuyasha cleaned up. "Um, if you change your mind about wanting to talk, I'm here."

Inuyasha paused to meet her gaze. "Thanks. I'm okay, though."

"Alright, then," she replied. "I'll see you for dinner?"

Inuyasha nodded before turning back to the dishes.

Once Kagome was gone, he sighed. He wasn't handling this too well.

 _What even is_ this _? What am I not handling well? It's too much right now._

He just got back to work.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome was losing her mind.

She knew she should be excited for her date, and a part of her was.

But Inuyasha...he was being weird. She didn't know what was going on with him. At first she suspected it was just a concerned friend watching out for her, especially because he didn't like the guy.

Somehow, this felt different.

Inuyasha cancelled on her for dinner, which honestly wasn't surprising. She knew his mood had something to do with Koga, but she couldn't figure it out.

Was he mad at her for going out with a guy she knew he didn't like?

 _That's gotta be it_ , she realized. _Now I feel bad...if one of my friends dated someone I didn't like, I wouldn't be too crazy about it either._

The next day, she saw Inuyasha before clocking in, but it was a simple exchange of morning greetings. He didn't show up to lunch, and she didn't ask him about it.

She and Koga were going out to dinner, which Inuyasha knew, so he wasn't expecting her for dinner. Kagome rolled her eyes. _As if he would have even shown up_.

Sango was coming over to help her get ready, but Kagome found that her excitement was slowly diminishing. She figured some girl time might help rejuvenate her.

Sango arrived a few minutes after Kagome's shift ended. She let Sango in and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower.

"So what are you gonna wear?" Sango asked as she waited for Kagome to get in the shower. Once Kagome was in and the curtain was pulled shut, Sango joined her in the bathroom.

"I haven't decided yet," Kagome replied. "I've been a little...preoccupied."

"Hmm…" Sango hummed. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're even going. You haven't said much more about the Inuyasha thing, but I didn't think you'd be over it by now."

Kagome paused, her soapy hands going still on her body.

"Um, yeah," she replied. "I've been fine about it for a while."

Sango didn't speak for a moment. "Have you told him about the date with Koga?"

Resuming her washing, Kagome tried to calm down. "Yeah, I did."

She heard Sango put the lid down on the toilet and sit down on it. "What did he say?"

"Uh, he didn't really have much to say," Kagome explained hesitantly. "He doesn't really like Koga, so I think he might think it's weird that I'm going out with him."

Sango was quiet for a moment. "Inuyasha got back with his girlfriend after she randomly showed up, right? Are they still together?"

Kagome went to answer the affirmative, but then she thought for a moment. Inuyasha hadn't mentioned Kikyo in a while, but Kagome figured it was because everything was fine with them. _Did they break up?_ she wondered to herself. _No, he would have told me._

"As far as I know," Kagome finally replied. "Why?"

She could practically hear Sango frowning. "Maybe he's jealous," she suggested. Kagome scoffed.

"Yeah, right," she replied. "There's no way he's jealous. He's just...I don't know. He's been weird lately and I don't know why. I think it might just be stress about prom." _Or something else entirely...but what?_

Kagome finished washing quickly as Sango changed the topic to what Kagome would wear.

Once she was out of the shower with her hair blow-dried straight, Kagome went to her room to get dressed.

She'd settled on a dark pair of jeans with a black blouse. The sleeves had a slight flare, so it was just the right amount of sophistication. She threw on a pair of black wedged boots and called it a day.

Never one to wear much make-up, Kagome quickly applied some mascara and chapstick before twirling around for Sango.

"Good?" she asked. Sango smiled and nodded.

"You look great," she replied. "Ready to knock him dead?"

Kagome laughed. "Uh, maybe not dead, but definitely surprised?"

A knock came at the door then. Glancing at her watch, Kagome saw that it was about the time Koga had said he'd come.

"It's him," she informed Sango as she grabbed her side bag. Sango's eyes lit up.

"Can I give him the treat-her-well talk?" she asked.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Maybe next time." Sango nudged her.

"Wow, Kagome, already thinking about next time?" Sango teased. "Ever the optimist, aren't we?" Kagome couldn't help but giggle.

Before Koga could suspect she'd ran, Kagome went to answer the door.

Koga looked great in a nice pair of slacks and a gray button-up shirt. His black hair was pulled up in its usual ponytail and his blue eyes seemed especially bright.

 _He cleans up well…_

"Hi, Kagome," Koga greeted with a smile. "You look absolutely beautiful." Kagome blushed.

"Thank you," she replied. "You look great, too."

Sango cleared her throat from behind Kagome.

"Oh, this is my friend, Sango," she said quickly. Koga bowed slightly.

"It's a pleasure to meet one of Kagome's friends," he said politely.

Sango smiled and gave Kagome an approving look.

At least Koga passed _her_ test. Inuyasha was just going to have to get over it.

"I'm gonna grab my stuff," Sango said. "If you want to leave, I can just get everything and leave when I'm done."

Kagome knew that was codeword for _I'll be here until you get back because I want all the gossip._

Sango was level-headed, no-nonsense, and smart, but that girl loved some good gossip.

Kagome nodded and gave a parting wave.

Once Kagome and Koga had left, they began figuring out where they wanted to eat.

By the time they'd gotten to the lobby, they had a destination in mind.

Throughout the date, Kagome realized two things:

First, Koga was the friendliest guy she'd ever met. Seriously, he said hi to any person that looked at him and gave out compliments like they were spare change. It was nice and all, but it got a little irritating.

Second, she was definitely _not_ into him in a romantic way.

When they'd finished dinner and gotten back to the hotel, Koga walked her up to her suite.

"I had a great time," he said as Kagome reached for her roomkey in her purse.

"Me, too," she replied. Koga put a hand on her arm. Kagome paused and looked up at him. He smiled brightly, and Kagome felt a small sense of dread go through her.

 _Please don't kiss me, please don't kiss me, please don't kiss me…_

Ever the gentleman, Koga only leaned in for a quick parting kiss on her cheek. It was almost _platonic_ given how not-into-him Kagome was. Yikes.

"Good night, Kagome," he said.

Kagome smiled, almost relieved.

"Good night," she said as she fished her key out and unlocked the door.

She walked into a dark suite and closed the door behind her. After making sure it was locked, she turned on the lights and found Sango asleep on the couch. Not wanting to wake her, Kagome silently slipped her shoes off and quietly went to her room to change into her pajamas.

She was honestly glad that Sango was asleep. Kagome needed to process the night by herself. She wasn't quite mentally-prepared to unpack it with another person just yet.

Unfortunately, she forgot that Sango was a ridiculously light sleeper. Two steps into the suite, Sango had stirred and opened her eyes.

She brightened as if she hadn't just been dead to the world.

"How did it go?" she asked. "He seemed so nice. Did you have a good time?"

Kagome was a little overwhelmed, so she just held up her hand. "Let me change. We can talk after."

Sango picked up on her strange mood immediately. "For sure. I'll make some tea."

Kagome threw on her most comfortable pair of sweatpants and the softest sweatshirt she owned. After she'd thrown her hair up into a barely acceptable excuse for a bun, she walked back out to the living room and plopped down on the couch.

Sango had just finished pouring two cups of tea when Kagome re-emerged from her room.

Her friend handed her a cup before joining her on the couch. When they were both settled, Sango looked at Kagome expectantly.

Kagome sighed. "You're right. He _is_ sweet. But…"

Sango patiently waited for her to try and articulate the mess inside her head.

Finally, Kagome gathered herself enough to explain.

"He's honestly the nicest guy I think I've ever met," she began. "He's friendly and compliments people like it's the most normal thing he could possibly do. He's accommodating and polite and just overall _great_."

Sango frowned. "Why does it sound like there's a 'but' coming?"

Kagome groaned and set her tea down on the end table before flopping back on the couch. "He's _too_ nice and _too_ friendly and _too_ accommodating and _too_ polite."

Sango laughed. "How is any of that bad?" she asked. "It sounds like a huge step up from the last guy you dated." Kagome sat up.

"Yeah, but this is a different kind of wrong," she countered. "I just...I don't know what to think."

Sango took a sip of her tea and seemed to be deep in thought.

Finally, she spoke. "Kagome," she began, "do you think it's possible that your hesitance might have something to do with Inuyasha?" Kagome's eyes widened.

"No way," she replied. "Inuyasha is nothing like Koga."

Sango frowned. "Do you think that might be the problem? Is that maybe why Koga doesn't seem like the right guy for you?"

That got Kagome to shut up _real_ quick. It made sense, but she'd made peace about her past feelings long before Koga had joined the staff.

"I think I'm just overwhelmed," she finally said. "I haven't been on a date in a long time, so maybe I just kind of forgot what it was like? I honestly don't know, Sango."

Sango sighed and set her cup down. "Maybe you should try to give Koga one more shot. A second date wouldn't hurt. You might even wind up changing your mind."

Kagome thought about that for a moment. Sango had a point.

"Okay," she decided. "I'll go out with him again if he asks. I need to be a grown-up about this. I'm not a teenager. I'm a woman, for goodness' sake."

Sango laughed. "Yeah, girl. You tell it like it is." Kagome finally smiled.

"Thanks, Sango," she said sincerely. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Sango patted her knee. "It's what I'm here for."

Kagome picked her tea back up and took a sip of it. "I'm glad your first date with Miroku went smoother than this." Sango blushed.

"Well, about Miroku…"

Kagome frowned. "What happened? Did he do something to you? I'll fight him."

Sango laughed. "No, no, nothing like that…" Kagome looked at her expectantly until Sango spoke again.

"Um, he told me that he loved me," she admitted. "I mean, he'd said it before when we weren't dating, but I always thought it was a joke. But then the other night...he said it again. He said he meant it. He said, 'all jokes aside, I love you, Sango.'"

Kagome practically screeched. "Aww, Sango! That's so sweet! Kawaii!"

Sango's face erupted into flames, but she smiled nonetheless. "Yeah...I said it back, which I've never said to a guy before him, but it just felt, I don't know, _right_. I honestly think I might marry him when the time comes."

Kagome squealed again as Sango dissolved into giggles.

Their moods shifted as Sango went into more detail about her love life, and Kagome felt her spirits lift. She loved that Sango was so happy, and it gave her hope.

Later that night, after Sango left, Kagome went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Once she was finished and curled up under her covers, she reflected on her evening.

 _Sango's right,_ she resolved. _I'll go out with him again. First dates are always weird, so I should at least try a second one to see what could happen._

o.O.o.

The next day, Inuyasha didn't bring up the date and neither did Kagome. It was like an elephant in the room. Well, more like a ticking bomb just waiting to explode.

Despite that, it wasn't weird like it had been. There was a slight tension whenever Koga came around and flirted with her or said she looked nice, but that was it.

Kagome was surprised to see that Inuyasha wasn't being as curt with Koga. He seemed...not quite friendly, but at least civil. She didn't know why, but she wasn't going to complain about it.

It was obvious that Koga still irritated him, but he seemed more equipped to deal with it.

Whatever was going through Inuyasha's mind, Kagome didn't know about it.

Just as Kagome had expected, Koga had asked her out on another date the following week. Before she could say yes like she'd decided, something nagged at her.

Her gut was telling her it wasn't right.

And she always went with her gut.

So she'd turned Koga down in the kindest way she could. She'd played it off as being too busy with prom planning. Koga was nice about it. Then again, she could've told him it was because she was an alien incapable of human affection and he probably would have complimented her ability to act human.

At least that was off her chest. If she could just find out what was wrong with Inuyasha, she'd be fine.

They hadn't played hide-and-seek since Kagome's date, and Kagome found herself really missing it. She was stressed from the prom planning, amongst her raging boy problems, and their games of hide-and-seek were usual sources of relaxation for her. Plus, she liked spending time with Inuyasha.

 _When did things get so complicated?_

As if her thoughts weren't bad enough, Inuyasha seemed especially brooding that day. Kagome could practically see the storm cloud looming over his head at lunch, so she figured it was time to address things.

Once she'd made their macaroni and cheese and they were settled at the table eating, she brought it up.

"Why have you been so off lately?" she asked gently. "Something's been weird, and I don't know what it is."

Inuyasha seemed caught off-guard by her sudden question. "Nothing's weird," he denied gruffly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kagome frowned. "Stop. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Inuyasha huffed. "What do you want me to say, Kagome?"

Blue eyes widening, Kagome flinched at his harsh tone. "I just...I wanted to try and see what's wrong. I've been worried about you lately."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh, I don't think I'm the one you should be worried about. You've got someone else now, so go worry about him."

Ah. So it _was_ about Koga.

"I take it you don't like the fact that Koga and I went on a date," Kagome deduced. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Inuyasha stood up and grabbed their bowls and took them over to the sink. "Not my place."

He turned the water on hard enough to drown out Kagome's words before she could even say them. When he was done washing the dishes, he quickly dried them and put them away before stalking out of the room.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome called. "Don't just leave when you're still mad."

Inuyasha kept walking as Kagome followed him. Luckily, the hallway was empty, so they didn't have to put on their professional faces.

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" she insisted as she caught up with him.

"Just leave it alone, Kagome!" he said exasperatedly. "Go talk to Koga and worry about him!"

Kagome practically growled as they continued down the hallway to the elevator.

"What is your problem?" Kagome shouted. "You're acting like a jerk!"

Inuyasha practically broke the button when he pressed it. "I told you to leave it alone."

The elevator dinged as the doors opened. Kagome followed Inuyasha in as he pressed the button for the third floor.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous," she pointed out harshly.

Inuyasha suddenly looked into her eyes. "Well, maybe you don't know better!"

Kagome scoffed. "You have a girlfriend, idiot! Why don't you go give her a call and say crap like that to her!"

Inuyasha laughed humorlessly. "I don't have a girlfriend anymore! Don't you get it? How can I be with someone else when _you_ are the only one I want to be with?"

Kagome's eyes widened.

She didn't know Inuyasha and Kikyo had broken up.

"But I thought -"

Her words were cut off by Inuyasha's sudden movement.

It was then that he reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace followed by a searing kiss on her lips.

Kagome paused, utterly shocked by his action, but she soon melted against him and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer and reciprocate his kiss.

It was gentle, but firm. Firy, but comforting. It was a paradox, much like Inuyasha himself seemed to be.

The kiss only lasted for a moment before Kagome pulled away.

Eyes wide, she stared at him, searching his golden eyes for an explanation as to why he had done that.

"Um," was all he said.

The elevator dinged again as the doors opened on the third floor. The pair ignored it, lost in each other's gaze. Kagome's heart was racing so hard, she knew he must have heard it. Slowly, he lowered his arms from around her and reached out to keep the elevator doors from closing.

They both exited the elevator and walked silently down the hall.

Kagome's suite came first. Inuyasha paused at her door as she tried to calm herself down.

"Do what you want," Inuyasha murmured. He reached out a hand as if he were going to touch her again, but stopped himself before he could.

Stunned into silence yet again, Kagome watched him walk the rest of the way down the hall to his suite.

Lips still on fire, his taste still on her tongue, she grabbed her key and walked into her suite to spend the remaining few minutes of her lunch break trying to figure out what in the world had just happened.

O.o.O.o.O

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Inuyasha practically slammed the door shut as he walked into his suite and threw himself on his bed.

 _Why did I do that? She's going out with another guy! What's wrong with me?_

And yet…

Kagome had kissed him back.

That had to mean something, right?

He hoped so, he truly did, because something in him was starting to feel so _alive_.

When he kissed Kagome, something in him had ignited. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. There was a churning in his stomach, a strange fluttering that left him feeling breathless and almost disoriented.

He replayed the kiss over and over in his head. He focused on the sensation of her arms reaching up to wrap around him, of her lips parting against his mouth as she kissed him back, of the intoxicating taste of her.

His eyes drifted closed as he recalled the way she felt in his arms. It felt so right, so enthralling, so complete.

But then she had pulled away. And that's when Inuyasha's embarrassment had begun.

He shook himself from his thoughts as he got up to go clock back in. He had desk duty that afternoon, and for once, he wasn't dreading it. He was grateful for the distraction. The thoughts racing through his head needed to wait. It was too much to think about so soon after the kiss.

The best kiss of his life.

Later that night, he skipped dinner and went straight back to his suite.

He immediately went to the bathroom. He turned the faucet on in the shower with the intent to wash off the humiliation he was still feeling.

Inuyasha didn't know how long he stood under the running water. It was scalding his skin, but he didn't notice. He knew the shampoo was long rinsed from his hair, but he still remained under the showerhead.

Finally, he finished washing and turned off the shower. He wrapped a towel around his lower half as he wrung out the water from his hair. It took a while because of the length of his locks, but he welcomed the extra distraction.

When his hair had stopped dripping water, he exited the bathroom and went to his room. He pulled out lounge clothes without really paying attention to what he was grabbing; he just shrugged on the first thing his hands touched.

Everything felt wrong.

After he was dressed, he walked into the kitchen and put a pot on the stove to start boiling water for ramen. If anything could make him feel better, it would be that.

A short time later, the water was sufficiently boiled and the noodles were finished. He plopped the ramen into a bowl, added his special ingredient, and sat down at his small table.

He took a gargantuan bite of noodles, his heart constricting as he remembered Kagome teasing him.

 _Kagome…_

Inuyasha gulped down the rest of the noodles, focusing on trying to get rid of the taste of Kagome that was still left on his tongue. She'd tasted so entrancing and beautiful...all he wanted was to taste her again.

"Ugh!" he shouted. He scooted out from the table and went to his room.

He'd broken up with Kikyo when he realized his feelings for Kagome were more than just an idea. He was into her, really into her. He meant it when he said he couldn't be with anyone else. The only person he wanted to be with was Kagome.

He hadn't told Kagome about the break-up because if she asked him why he had done it, he wouldn't have been able to hide the reason. He wanted to keep it to himself as long as possible, but he'd broken down that afternoon.

This whole thing was exactly what he'd wanted to avoid.

Now she was dating someone else and he was embarrassed beyond belief. Great.

He laid in his bed for longer than he'd like to admit, only moving to set his alarm for the morning until sleep overcame him.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome's heart hadn't regained a steady rhythm yet. She'd been lying in bed for hours, but her mind was wide awake and her body was still buzzing.

All she could think about were Inuyasha's arms around her and the firm way he'd kissed her. He wasn't messing around; it was easily the most amazing kiss she'd ever had.

 _Why didn't he tell me that he and Kikyo had broken up?_ she wondered. _When did that even happen? How long has he felt this way?_

Everything finally clicked.

This whole time, Inuyasha was jealous.

Kagome groaned. He was probably feeling the exact same way she had when he had gotten back with Kikyo. What a messed-up situation.

He said he wanted to be with her, which Kagome could still hardly believe, but is that what she wanted? She'd spent so much time trying to get over everything, but it all fell apart as soon as he'd touched her.

She sighed and rolled over in her bed. _I can't deny that I have feelings for him, though. Was I ever really over them? Maybe that's why my gut was telling me to say no to a second date with Koga. Sango might have been right…_

So where did that leave her?

 _I can't just throw away this possibility,_ she realized. _Inuyasha_ kissed _me...I can't just forget about that._

Sighing as she curled up in her blankets, Kagome decided to just go for it. It was what she'd been wanting, even subconsciously, and despite the fact that she was a little uncertain of what it might mean for the future, she wanted to face it with Inuyasha.

No one but Inuyasha.

She fell asleep rather peacefully, unaware of the turmoil raging in Inuyasha's mind just down the hall.

The next morning, Inuyasha and Kagome crossed paths when they went to clock in. It was the first time Kagome had almost been late clocking in; she hadn't gotten down to the staff room until a few seconds before six, so she'd barely made it.

 _I'm still out of it,_ she had told herself as she hurried downstairs. _Once Inuyasha and I talk, I'll feel better._

"Good morning and see you later," she'd called to Inuyasha as she headed straight for the desk.

An hour later, things were slow at the desk, so she discreetly pulled out her phone to text Inuyasha.

 **I'm making sandwiches for lunch today. You in?**

A few minutes later, a response came.

 **Sure. See you then.**

Kagome smiled brightly as she put her phone away. He wanted to be with her and she wanted to be with him.

 _Things are finally starting to come together._

At lunchtime, Kagome made it to the kitchen first and began working on sandwiches. She put together a PBJ for herself and a turkey and cheese for Inuyasha. It was simple, but she wanted to finish making them as soon as possible so that they could talk without any interruptions.

When Inuyasha entered the kitchen, Kagome's heart flipped. She smiled warmly.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," Inuyasha replied. He looked exhausted. "Do you need help?"

Kagome's smile faded when she saw his face. "No, I'm good, but are you okay? You look like you barely slept."

Inuyasha sighed and sat down at the table. "Kagome, about yesterday…"

Kagome brought the sandwiches to the table and sat down across from him.

After he thanked her, he resumed speaking. "I was out of line. I shouldn't have kissed you, and I'm sorry if it seemed like I was trying to guilt you into anything. I respect that you and Koga are...uh, you know...so I won't bring it up again. I'm sorry."

Kagome was taken aback. This definitely wasn't how she was expecting their conversation to go.

"You don't have to apologize," she replied when she finally remembered how to speak. "It was great. I enjoyed it."

Inuyasha seemed surprised. "It was _wrong_ , Kagome. It won't happen again."

Words fled from Kagome's mind. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. _What does he mean_ wrong _? This is crazy!_

"But I-"

Her words were cut off by a rather loud entrance.

"Well, hey there, guys," Koga boomed when he entered the kitchen. "Kagome, you're looking great today. How goes it with you guys?"

It was the first time Kagome was actually angry that someone complimented her. _How many times is he going to come in and interrupt us?!_

Inuyasha glared at Koga's gaze on Kagome.

"Um, hi, Koga," Kagome greeted hesitantly. "We're good. How are you?"

Koga opened the fridge and rooted around for a moment before pulling out a cup of yogurt.

"Can't complain," he replied as he grabbed a spoon from the silverware drawer. "Prom is coming up so things have been busy for Inuyasha and I. Right, man?"

Kagome was actually pretty impressed that Inuyasha was schooling his expression so well. "Yep," he replied curtly.

Koga smiled. "Well, I'm heading back up to my suite. I have some stuff to do before I get back to work. I'll meet up with you later, Inuyasha, for that security meeting with Totosai." He was gone before Kagome, or even Inuyasha, could try to come up with something coherent to say.

Silence came over the two as they both avoided the other's gaze.

Finally, Kagome couldn't take it anymore.

"Um, how long has it been since you and Kikyo broke up?" she asked.

Inuyasha's head whipped up. "Why are you asking?"

Kagome grimaced. "You kissed me yesterday after telling me you didn't have a girlfriend for the first time right before you did it. It would be nice to know."

Inuyasha sighed. "It was a few weeks ago. Happy?"

 _Well, I_ was…

"Did you mean it?" she asked, her voice shrinking. "The kiss...and what you said?"

Inuyasha looked away from her. "Kagome, just stop. You're dating Koga."

"I'm not," Kagome interjected. "I had already told him no about a second date before you kissed me."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "What? _Why?_ "

"Because of you, stupid!" she said. "Remember your grand announcement about not being able to be with someone else because there's only one person you want to be with? Well, _you_ are my one person, Inuyasha. You."

Inuyasha was very obviously stunned into silence. "Kagome, I'm not…"

Kagome leaned forward and dared to put her hand on his. "You're not what?" she prodded gently. Inuyasha glanced down at their hands and then up at her. He shifted so he could grip hers.

"There's just...a lot to think about," he finally said. "You're my best friend. Plus, we work together. Isn't there a rule about coworkers dating?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "There's no rule here. Obviously, since I went out with Koga." Inuyasha grimaced at that before she finished. "The couple just has to fill out a form stating the relationship so the hotel can be aware as a business."

Inuyasha's grip tightened on her hand. Glancing down, Kagome caught sight of her watch. They had literally thirty seconds to clock back in.

"Oh, man," she said as she pulled her hand back and stood up. "We have to clock back in." Inuyasha seemed surprised about the time, but they'd been...preoccupied. Kagome was just glad she'd seen the time when she did.

Before they parted ways after clocking back in, Kagome turned to Inuyasha to find his eyes already trained her. She smiled.

"We can finish this talk later?" she suggested.

Inuyasha smiled back and reached out to squeeze her hand once more.

"Let's do dinner in my suite," he said. "It'll be quieter. Less people to...interfere."

Kagome laughed. "As long as you're making ramen."

As she made her way to the desk after they'd left, Kagome felt a weight dissipating in her heart.. She was in utter disbelief about what had happened, but she was more than okay with it.

 _Finally…_

To be continued…

I hope you enjoyed this gigantic, monster-sized chapter. Only one more left! This story will close out with the 6th chapter. This whole fic has been such a joy to write, and I can't wait for you to read the end.

Much love.


	6. Check-Out

When I started this story, I had the beginning and the ending all mapped out in my head but nothing in-between. Connecting the two was really hard, but it wound up writing itself. I loved writing this story, and I hope you all have enjoyed reading it. Thanks so much for the kind reviews. I appreciate each and every one of them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

 **Chapter 6: Check-Out**

 _Vacuum the floors, steam the mattress, don't think about Kagome, put on the fresh sheets, mop the bathroom, don't think about Kagome..._

It took all of Inuyasha's willpower to focus on cleaning the rooms after his conversation with Kagome. He tried to keep his attention on the tasks at hand, but it was starting to get really freaking hard.

He was amazed at how quickly he went from feeling horrifically guilty to actually somewhat hopeful.

" _You are my one person, Inuyasha…"_

Inuyasha wasn't one to latch onto words, but this was an exception.

And yet…she was his best friend. Wouldn't it be weird if they tried to date?

They'd already crossed a line, though, with that kiss. His body still felt warm whenever he replayed it in his mind.

From where they were now, would it be possible to go back?

Did he even want to?

When he was finished with his shift, he ran up to his suite to shower quickly. Once he was clean and dressed, he pulled out a pot and two bowls.

As he was filling the pot with water, a knock came at his door.

He knew Kagome was on the other side, but his heart still kicked a little when he opened the door to see her.

She smiled up at him. "Hi."

"Hey," he replied, the corners of his mouth already turning up. Unable to stop himself, he reached out to pull her into his embrace. It was easy and so incredibly warm to have her in his arms. She reciprocated and held him just as firmly.

When they let go, he opened the door so she could enter the suite before resuming his job with the pot.

"Do you need any help?" she asked. Inuyasha shook his head as he put the pot on the stove and grabbed some ramen seasoning.

"I got it," he replied. "You can sit down if you want." Kagome nodded and sat down at his little dining table.

Inuyasha glanced at her, remembering the other time they had eaten ramen together. It felt like forever ago.

"Are you gonna kick me out this time?" she asked suddenly.

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he focused his attention on her. "Um…what?"

Kagome looked at him and smiled. "I'm joking. You don't remember last time?"

It only took a moment for Inuyasha to remember that evening. _I had forgotten to call Kikyo and Kagome left…I didn't kick her out, but I could see why she'd think that…_

"No," he replied, returning her smile. "I don't plan on it."

They fell into a companionable silence as Inuyasha boiled the noodles and drained them. Once they were back in the pot, he added the spices. After glancing at Kagome to make sure she wasn't watching, he added his secret ingredient and mixed everything in.

When he was finished, he filled two bowls and brought them over to the table. He sat down across from Kagome after handing her a bowl and a fork.

She smiled at him from across the table. "Itadakimasu," she said.

"Itadakimasu," Inuyasha echoed.

There was something so beautiful in the way she did simple things. It was stupid how such insignificant things like clocking-in or eating his mother's soup or even now just eating instant ramen could leave him so breathless. She roped him in without even trying.

After a few minutes of silently eating, Inuyasha finally spoke.

"So," he began, "you enjoyed it, huh?"

Kagome's gaze fell on him, a questioning look coming into her eyes.

"Enjoyed what?" she asked.

Inuyasha smirked and shrugged before taking a bite of his noodles.

As if suddenly realizing what he was talking about, Kagome blushed.

"Hey, now," she warned. "You enjoyed it, too."

Inuyasha laughed, thinking back to her words at lunch. _It was great…_

"There's one thing, though," Kagome said, her expression growing serious. "There's something you said that's been bothering me…"

Inuyasha nodded, encouraging her to continue.

Kagome hesitated. "Well, what you said about why you had broken up with Kikyo…was that true or was it just kind of something you said in the moment?"

Inuyasha paused, thinking about it himself. Uncertain, he began to explain.

"After Kikyo and I got back together, I felt like something was off. I was happy, but it was a weird sort of happy, I guess."

"Why was it weird?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha sighed. "Looking back, I realize it was because I wasn't the same person I was when I left. She was the same person, but I wasn't." He looked up at her. "Those weird feelings had something to do with you. I won't lie about that, but I just brushed them off."

"Why did they have something to do with me?" Kagome asked. "Did I do something?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "It was just me being conflicted. It passed eventually, but it all came rushing back when Koga asked you out. When I realized I was jealous, I knew it wasn't fair to be dating someone, so I ended it with Kikyo. Kikyo didn't deserve that. I didn't know how I felt about you then, but regardless, I couldn't do it. I didn't know how I felt, and that uncertainty is what made me break up with Kikyo. It wasn't you."

Kagome nodded slowly as she processed what Inuyasha was saying. "It hurt when you said you'd gotten back together," she admitted. "But…I got over it, too." She smiled. "Well, I thought I had. Turns out I hadn't."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Me neither."

It was a relief to finally _talk_ about everything. They talked long into the night about everything that had happened. It eventually just turned into talking about anything, and Inuyasha felt a warmth settle over him. It was like the feeling he got when he thought about their kiss, but this one was softer, quieter.

Kagome was everything.

"Do you want me to help you clean up?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha glanced at his watch and saw that it was much later than he'd realized.

"Nah, I can take care of it," he replied.

"Okay…so do you maybe want to finish the night with a game of hide-and-seek?" Kagome's tone was excited.

Inuyasha chuckled and rose from the table. "You're on."

It was easy to be with her. It was simple to laugh with her.

And later that night, when he caught her during their game, it was easy to gently turn her around in his arms to look down at her.

She smiled up at him as her hand came up to cup his cheek. His arms moved down to settle around her waist as he leaned his face into her touch.

"Got you," he murmured as he gazed into her eyes.

"Yeah, you got me," she murmured back before she moved up to kiss him.

This kiss was vastly different than their first. It was calm and slow, passion building instead of coming immediately.

Kagome's hands moved to the back of his neck; the movement had him parting his lips against her mouth.

When she reciprocated and he got a taste of her, his arms tightened around her waist and his hands moved up her back.

A passion similar to their first kiss began to build, and Inuyasha kissed her deeper, the kisses lasting longer and lingering.

Kagome was more than willing to keep up with him as warmth built up between them. Her body already felt a little warm from running around during their game, but now she was hot to the touch.

He knew he was the same himself as he got lost in the taste of her, in her seemingly never-ending kisses, in her gentle hands on his body.

Being with Kagome was like coming home. Her touch was like a soothing balm on his soul, allowing him rest and peace like he'd never felt. There was something so ethereal in the way she felt against him, something so incredibly magical in the way their bodies touched.

 _Kagome…_

When they finally pulled away from each other, Inuyasha smiled down at her before engulfing her in his embrace. She rested her head on his chest as he hugged her tightly to him.

"I'm sorry it took so long," he murmured into her hair. He felt her shake her head against him.

"Don't be," she hummed back quietly. "You were worth the wait."

Inuyasha had no idea how long they stood there relishing in the touch of each other.

Finally, she pulled away and checked her watch. "It's really late," she said, her voice breaking the silence. "We should probably head upstairs."

Inuyasha nodded before letting her go and following her down the hallway to the exit.

"I think we picked a bad time for this," Kagome whispered as they made their way to the elevator. "We have four proms coming up. I don't think we'll have much time to...you know…"

Inuyasha smirked at her. "To what?" he asked quietly, feigning innocently. He loved the way Kagome's cheeks burst into flames.

"Ugh, date, you jerk," she replied as she pressed the up button on the elevator.

Inuyasha pretended to be surprised. "You want to date me?" he asked, feigning awe. "I had no idea."

Kagome rolled her eyes before a smile came to her face. "You want to date me, too."

After they'd gotten on the elevator and the doors had closed behind them, Inuyasha pulled her into his arms. "Yeah, you're right."

It was so soothing just to hold her; he buried his face in her hair, relishing in the sweet scent. Her arms held him tight, as if to beg _don't let go of me yet._

The ding of the elevator broke them apart.

When they reached Kagome's door, she smiled up at him. "I mean it, though," she said. "There's not going to be a lot of time with all the prom stuff happening."

Inuyasha shrugged. "What's another four weeks? Apparently we've both been waiting a while anyway. A little longer isn't going to kill us."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm glad you agree. Once proms are over...well, you know."

He reached up and cupped her cheeks in his hands as her arms drifted down to wrap around his torso. "Four weeks."

Kagome pulled away and grabbed her room key from her pocket. "Four weeks," she repeated.

Inuyasha set a hand on her arm, effectively stopping her from unlocking the door.

It only took a moment for her to understand his silent request.

Smiling brightly, Kagome moved up to meet him halfway.

Inuyasha kept the kiss light and brief. There would be many more to come, of that he was certain.

Flashing him one last smile, Kagome entered her suite and turned to look at him one more time.

"Good night, Inuyasha."

"Good night, Kagome."

O.o.O.o.O

When Kagome woke up the next morning, she felt like she was floating.

She floated in the bathroom to get ready before floating back to her room to get dressed before floating downstairs.

Kagome attempted to gather her wits about her so as to actually seem professional, but that flew out the door when she walked into the staff room to see Inuyasha already there.

"Good morning," he greeted when she entered.

Kagome tried to slow her heart rate. "Good morning," she replied as she clocked in. "Have a wonderful day."

She heard him chuckle as she left the room.

It was extremely hard to focus when she was working the desk that morning.

Well, it was hard to focus the entire _day_ , but she kept it together.

That night as she was standing at the stove boiling noodles for spaghetti, she felt warm arms wrap around her from behind.

It was only for a moment, but his touch lingered even after he pulled away.

Kagome turned to see Inuyasha peering into the pot.

"Are we having noodles and water for dinner?" he teased. Kagome laughed.

"Try spaghetti," she replied goodnaturedly. "The noodles will be done in a few minutes."

Inuyasha sighed and grabbed bowls and forks. Kagome glanced at his sudden shift in mood.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Inuyasha shook his head as he continued to grab things from the cabinet.

Kagome noticed that he'd grabbed three bowls and three spoons instead of their usual two each.

"Are we having a dinner guest tonight?" she asked.

"Hello there, Kagome!" a voice boomed.

Said woman had to stifle her laughter at Inuyasha's face.

"Hi, Koga," Kagome chirped. "Are you joining us for dinner?" Koga nodded and sat down at the table.

"We're doing more security prep tonight," he explained. "I figured I would eat with you guys so Inuyasha and I can head back together."

Kagome noticed Inuyasha grimace from the corner of her eye. It took all of her willpower to keep from laughing.

"Great," she replied. "I'm making spaghetti. It'll be ready soon."

Inuyasha discreetly rolled his eyes as he grabbed the spaghetti sauce from the cabinet and put it on the counter next to the stove.

Kagome gently nudged him and smiled before draining the noodles. When that was done, she added the spaghetti sauce and stirred it in.

A few minutes later, she filled the three bowls and handed one to Inuyasha while she brought the other two to the table.

"Thanks so much," Koga said when he received his bowl. "This looks great."

"You're welcome," Kagome replied as she joined Inuyasha and Koga at the table. "So are you feeling okay about the proms? You got a pretty late start."

Koga nodded. "Yeah, it'll be fine. Inuyasha has helped a lot so I'm not too worried."

As they ate their meal, they continued talking about the proms. When they finished, Inuyasha and Koga left to attend the security meeting while Kagome went to find Myoga.

A few minutes after they left, her phone dinged. After she pulled it out, Kagome saw a text from Inuyasha.

 **We're officially going to have company at dinner from now on.**

Kagome laughed.

 **It's a good thing I know how to cook big meals.**

She could practically _feel_ Inuyasha rolling his eyes at her, but she knew he would be just as amused.

He wound up being right; Koga and eventually Miroku began joining them for dinner every night. The schedules were all syncing up due to the prom planning, so Kagome and Inuyasha didn't get a whole lot of time to themselves anymore.

Which, honestly, was probably a good thing.

There were occasional moments when she could tell he was about to reach for her hand or was about to pull her into an embrace, but he managed to stop himself when he remembered they weren't alone. Kagome was just as guilty of it. Now that she knew what it was like to touch him, she found it hard to keep herself from doing so. Their frustration mostly led to a private shared amusement, so at least they could laugh about it.

Kagome could tell that Miroku was picking up on something. He didn't bring it up, but he would give Kagome questioning looks every so often. She tried to play it cool, but she wasn't sure how convincing she was.

After about a week, Kagome figured it was time to tell Sango.

Her best friend was quick to answer the phone, as if sensing that something had happened.

"Hey, Kagome," Sango greeted. "What's up?"

Already smiling, Kagome laughed. "Uh, well, Inuyasha and I are kind of a thing."

" _No way!"_ Sango shrieked. "Are you serious? Did you guys kiss or something?"

Kagome laughed. "Yes. It was...amazing."

"Oh, my gosh, Kagome!" she shouted. "This is so great to hear. I mean, I kind of already knew...but that's okay! We can double date now!" The thought of Inuyasha wanting to double date with Miroku nearly had Kagome on the floor laughing.

Then she realized what Sango had said.

Kagome paused. "What do you mean you already knew?" Then she realized. "Miroku mentioned something, right?"

Laughter rang from the other line. "He just said there was something weird going on with you two," she explained. "I asked if it seemed like a bad thing, and he said no. So I just kind of put two and two together."

Embarrassed, Kagome sighed. "I'm sorry, Sango. I should have told you instead of you hearing from Miroku."

She could practically see Sango waving off her concern. "Oh, don't be sorry. It's totally fine. It was just speculation anyway. I knew you would tell me what was actually happening when you were ready." She heard Sango giggle. "So…what _is_ actually happening?"

Kagome filled her in on the break-up and everything that had transpired between her and Inuyasha after it had happened. Sango was practically shrieking in excitement when Kagome had finished.

"So what are you gonna do?" Sango asked.

"What we've been doing, I guess," Kagome replied. "Except without as much...angst."

Sango laughed. "I'm so happy for you, Kagome. Honestly, I was hoping you would come out of it happy. No matter the outcome, I just wanted you to be happy."

Kagome was touched. "Thanks, Sango."

"When's your first date?" Sango asked. Kagome sighed.

"After prom season is over," she replied. "There's too much to do at the hotel. We're just putting things on hold until we're finished with everything."

"That's so great, Kagome. Really, I'm so happy for you."

They chatted a bit longer about their recent happenings until Kagome needed to get to a prom meeting.

After the conversation had ended, Kagome was somehow feeling even happier.

Now that she had told someone else, it just felt even more _real_.

o.O.o

The morning of the first prom, Kagome and Inuyasha were pulled from their usual duties to start prepping the ballroom for the high school kids to decorate. They were coming around noon, so the ballroom needed to be clean and ready.

Many of the other staff employees were tasked with prom preparations as well, but it still took almost all morning to vacuum and mop the floors. Not long after they'd finished, the students arrived armed and dangerous with their decorations.

The head of the prom committee was the first to greet Kagome after finding out she was the staff leader.

He was very friendly, with bright green eyes and bright red hair. He smiled brightly when he approached Kagome.

"Hi," he greeted. "I'm Shippo. I'm head of the prom committee. Thanks so much for helping us out." Kagome smiled back at him.

"Welcome, Shippo," she replied warmly. "We're happy to help. I bet you're all excited!" Shippo nodded eagerly.

"I was told to find you because you're pretty much running the show," he informed her. "We have just about all of our stuff together. We just need help setting everything up."  
Expecting his requirements, Kagome nodded. "Absolutely! That's what we're here for. Just tell us what to do."

Despite being a high school senior, Shippo really had his act together. He took charge in letting the staff know what needed to be done for the prom that night.

Kagome had to admit it was fun to help all of the kids bring their ideas to life. They were all enthusiastic about decorating and making the prom as fun as possible.

When the prom began, Kagome admired the scene before her.

Twinkling string lights hung from each of the tables and outlined the dance floor. The overhead lights were dimmed just enough to allow the decorative lights to illuminate the happy teenagers. The students had chosen _A Night in the Stars_ for their theme, and they had lived up to it. There were gorgeous blue decorations and nighttime elements all around the room. It was beautiful.

Halfway into the prom, things were still running smoothly.

Inuyasha was monitoring the front doors for the majority of the night, and Kagome had to admit she glanced at him more than a few times.

He was dressed in a black security guard uniform with his long, silver hair tied back in a low ponytail. The uniform fit snuggly enough that his figure was shown off more than Kagome had seen it. He was the perfect balance between slender and muscular.

When he met her gaze across the room, Kagome blushed. He smiled at her, as if reading her mind.

 _That man is going to be the end of me,_ she mused silently as she smiled back.

"Miss Kagome?"

A voice broke Kagome out of her admiration of Inuyasha. She quickly tried to school her expression and kill the blush on her face.

Green eyes reflected in the dim lights of the ballroom as Shippo approached her.

"Hey, Shippo," she greeted. "Everything is running smoothly. Are you having a nice time?"

Shippo nodded eagerly. "It's perfect. I wanted to thank you for all your help. We've been planning our prom for months and we were nervous about how it would work out. We almost didn't think it would pan out how we wanted it to, but it did thanks to you guys. We all really appreciate it."  
Kagome smiled back at him. "Of course, Shippo. We were so happy to help. I'm jealous though...I wish my own prom could have looked like this!"  
Shippo laughed and looked around the room. "I hope you've been able to enjoy it from a different perspective."

 _What a sweet kid,_ Kagome observed silently.

"I definitely did," she replied sincerely. "Now go on. Keep having a good time."  
With a parting smile and quick wave, Shippo went back over to meet up with what Kagome figured was his friend group.

Nostalgia washed over her as the prom went on. She'd meant what she had told Shippo. Her prom was nowhere near as great at this one.

She looked back at Inuyasha and saw him talking with Koga. He didn't seem mad, which was a good thing. Inuyasha was a professional, so Kagome honestly hadn't been worried about him during the actual proms. During planning, not so much.

Amused, she smiled at the silver-haired man she'd come to care about so deeply.

As if once again sensing her gaze on him, Inuyasha flashed her a brief smile before focusing back on his conversation with Koga.

 _Keep it professional, girl,_ she scolded herself. _Now isn't the time for admiring a hot guy._

She looked away but kept the smile on her face.

 _Not just any hot guy,_ she reminded herself. _My hot guy._

The rest of the first prom went off without a hitch. Everything went smoothly, the kids had a great time, and Myoga was pleased with the whole thing.

After everything was cleaned up and the first prom was officially over, Inuyasha and Kagome walked back up their respective suites. Kagome was almost sad to see Shippo leave, but she brightened when he voiced his gratitude again and gave her a parting hug.

When Inuyasha and Kagome reached the elevator, Kagome pressed the button.

"So," Inuyasha began when the elevator dinged and the doors opened, "did you see something you liked down there? It seemed like you kept looking at something. Come to think of it, it must have been near me considering how many times you were peeking in my direction."

Kagome rolled her eyes and blushed. "Shut up," she muttered.

Inuyasha laughed and ruffled her bangs. "Oh, come on, Kagome. You can tell me."

"You're so weird," she teased goodnaturedly. "Your uniform does look good on you, though." Inuyasha smirked.

"That apron of yours had my attention, too," he replied. "A little. I guess."

Finally smiling at him, Kagome shook her head. "I hate the aprons. It makes us look like waiters."

"Koga and I just look like creepy stalkers," Inuyasha replied. "The kids look like they're scared of us."  
Kagome laughed. "I think that's kind of the point. You have to scare them into following the rules."

They were still laughing when the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

They settled into a comfortable silence as they walked down the hall. When they reached Kagome's suite, Inuyasha lingered while she pulled her key out.

"So do you think that's how all of the proms are gonna be?" he asked. "It didn't seem too hard."

Kagome nodded. "For the most part. This one was relatively easy, but the others shouldn't be bad either."

Inuyasha smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear that." Kagome unlocked her suite and looked up at him with a grin on her face. "Only three more proms then we're done for the season."

Inuyasha reached up to gently touch her cheek. "Only three more weeks," he murmured, "until...well, you know."

Kagome blushed, but feigned oblivion. "Until what?" she asked innocently. "Is there another event I don't know about?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Whatever, woman. You're gonna be the end of me." Kagome laughed and leaned in to wrap her arms around him.

 _One little hug won't hurt..._

Inuyasha wrapped her in his embrace. When they parted, he smiled down at her.

 _One little kiss won't hurt…_

Instead of the solid smooch she was expecting on her lips, she got a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Three weeks," he repeated. "Good night."

Smiling despite herself, Kagome gave him one last squeeze before letting go.

"Good night, Inuyasha."

o.O.o

The next two proms went as smoothly as the first one.

But then came the fourth one.

It was a nightmare as soon as the kids arrived. Apparently, two students from their prom committee had come down with fierce cases of mono. It didn't Kagome long to figure out how just those two had gotten it.

The other two kids from the committee seemed to argue nonstop as they tried to figure out how they were going to figure out how to carry on without the missing students. Kagome tried to calm them down and ease their minds, but nothing she said seemed to help.

"Alright!" came a shout as the kids continued arguing.

The students went silent and turned to face the noise.

Inuyasha, clad in his usual security guard uniform, was giving them a no-nonsense look.

"If you keep arguing, nothing is gonna happen. Calm yourselves down and get a grip."

Kagome frowned at him, displeased with the way he'd spoken to the kids. She had to admit it seemed to do the trick, though. The students calmed down and were quiet for a few moments.

"Now," Inuyasha said. "What were the jobs your friends had?"

One of the students spoke up and explained. She looked near tears.

"So let's figure out how we can get that stuff done without them," Inuyasha resolved. "The hotel staff is here for that exact reason. To help you get things done. Tell us what you need, and we'll do it."

The prom committee was visibly relieved as they nodded their agreement. Inuyasha began to help them make an alternate plan while Kagome quietly observed. She was impressed with Inuyasha and more than a little extra attracted to him.

It took some extra time, but the hotel staff along with the prom committee managed to put out the fire started by the missing students. They barely made it, finishing only thirty minutes before the prom was set to start instead of the planned hour, but it was just a relief to have gotten everything done.

As the kids dispersed to begin to quickly get dressed for the dance, Kagome caught up with Inuyasha.

"Conflict resolution?" she noted when she reached him. "You should add that to your resume."  
Inuyasha grinned. "Yeah, right. I just wanted them to shut up." Kagome laughed and shook her head. A moment later, Koga came up to Inuyasha to check the status of the security team.

"Hey, Kagome, Inuyasha," he greeted when he approached. "We ready?"

Kagome nodded confidently. "Definitely. I was honestly concerned for a bit there, but it worked out. I think the kids are actually excited instead of worried out of their minds. They should be out soon, though, so we need to get to our assigned position."

Koga nodded and gave a wave to Kagome before heading over to his station at the entrance of the ballroom.

Before Inuyasha went to join him, he gave Kagome a final smile. "Good luck, boss woman." He gently ruffled her bangs before going to catch up with Koga.

Kagome tried to steady her restless heart rate. _Okay, time to be professional. There will be more time for that later._ She smiled to herself. _Finally more time for that later._

To everyone's relief, that prom wound up being the most successful one they'd had. The students all seemed to have a great time, including the once-stressed prom committee. During their final slow song, as Kagome admired the happiness on the students' faces, she recalled her own prom.

Memories of her slow dance rushed through her mind and brought an amused smile to her face. She'd danced with a boy that'd had a crush on her for years, but she never reciprocated. Kagome had still danced with him to at least solidify a friendship, and after that, it seemed like he was able to move on from her.

But now, as she glanced over at Inuyasha, she imagined that slow dance a little differently, with golden eyes staring down at her and silver hair swishing around instead.

When the prom had finally ended, Kagome was exhausted. Once everything was finally cleaned up and Kagome had let the other employees clock-out after their final successful night, she walked over to address the last small task of getting all of the chairs stacked.

Kagome wiped the sweat from her forehead as she finished neatly stacking the last few chairs. She surveyed the clean ballroom with a quick nod of approval before seeking out Inuyasha. She figured he would have stayed back with her to walk upstairs together like they usually did.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called as she wiped her sweaty hands on her apron. "Where did you go?"

Suddenly, she heard a loud noise come over the speaker.

"Testing, testing...is this thing on?"

Chuckling at Inuyasha's voice, Kagome called back, "It's on! What are you doing?"

"Hang on," came Inuyasha's voice again as the room went silent.

A moment later, the first few notes of a slow song came through the speakers. Confused, Kagome looked around. _Are there still some prom-goers in the hotel?_

The last of the high schoolers had left two hours ago. _Maybe there's a straggler? Some sort of prank?_

Glancing at her watch, Kagome saw that it was two-fifteen in the morning, and they'd officially been off-the-clock for fifteen minutes. There was no way any students were still there.

The music continued as the lights dimmed to how they had been during the actual prom. The decorations were gone, so it was pretty much just a dark and empty ballroom with music playing. She finally saw a smiling Inuyasha emerge from the darkness. At that moment, it turned into a whole lot more than just a ballroom.

"Well, hi there," he said as he finally reached her.

Kagome laughed. "Hi...what are you doing?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Felt like dancing. I'm a little jilted that I didn't get to dance _at all_ at any of these proms." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"We were working," she scolded teasingly. "And you shouldn't be complaining. You said you hated proms."

Inuyasha shrugged before holding his hand out to her. "Maybe it was because I didn't have the right people...or, well, person." Kagome blushed as she glanced at his hand before taking it.

He pulled her close to him, much like he had only a few precious times before.

His arms wrapped around her waist, anchoring at the small of her back as her hands came up to set on his shoulders.

"So, Kagome," he said as they began swaying back and forth in time to the song. "I would say you threw four very successful proms." Kagome smiled and moved to wrap her arms around his neck.

"I had a _little_ help," she teased.

Inuyasha chuckled and pulled her closer.

"Four proms...four weeks," Kagome murmured. "We made it."

Golden eyes bore into hers as Inuyasha smiled down at her.

"What do you know?" he teased lightly. "We did...somehow."

Kagome leaned her head against Inuyasha's chest as they danced. His heartbeat was smooth and steady under her ear. She finally, _finally_ felt the longing from the last four weeks turn into something much more soothing.

She smiled against the rough fabric of his uniform. "Sorry I'm not dressed in proper prom attire," she teased. "No ballgowns here."  
Inuyasha chuckled beneath her chest. "Eh, I prefer the apron anyway."

In that moment, everything felt right.

When the song they'd been dancing to ended, silence fell around them as Inuyasha's lips fell to Kagome's.

To Kagome, the kiss felt like a long time coming in the most bittersweet of ways. It wasn't their first kiss, not by a longshot, but it might as well have been. As Inuyasha's lips touched hers again and again, sometimes gentle, sometimes needy, she felt a sense of completion. It was more than worth the wait, and it felt like everything was finally coming together.

To Inuyasha, the kiss ignited a fire he'd never felt in his heart before. Kagome had somehow gone from the annoying woman behind the desk to the woman with whom he wanted to spend every waking moment. As he kissed over and over again, he realized something.

 _I love her..._

He loved Kagome so deeply, so powerfully, and he wondered how he'd ever thought he could have loved anyone else before her.

They pulled away after a few moments to look into each other's eyes. They both knew; it was obvious. The forced partnership, the close friendship, and now this new love had all blossomed into a beautiful beginning for the both of them.

"Also," Inuyasha said rather breathlessly, "the secret ingredient in my ramen is sugar. I don't know why it tastes good in it."

Kagome laughed before pulling his face back down to her.

She kissed him again, this time losing herself in the deep, lingering kisses he pressed to her lips, cheeks, and neck.

Kagome didn't know how long they stayed there, kissing passionately and marveling in the happiness they'd found.

But it didn't matter. What had begun would never end, so there was no need to keep track of time.

 **Five Years Later:**

"Inuyasha, you better not drop that!"

The silver-haired man rolled his eyes at his wife's scolding.

"I'm not gonna drop it, woman," he replied as he got a better grip on the box he was carrying.

It was labeled _Fragile_ , which he could definitely read so he didn't need the reminder.

Did Kagome understand that? No, not really.

He couldn't help but smile as he set the box down in the empty room and turned back to face Kagome.

She had a calculating look on her face as she examined the room, no doubt trying to figure out where to put the new furniture.

Her hand absentmindedly ran over her stomach, the gentle swell of her abdomen looking especially beautiful in her green maternity dress.

When she caught him looking at her, she smiled.

"What's that look on your face?" she asked kindly. "It's a pretty cute one."

Inuyasha shook his head and made his way over to her. "Just thinking. I'd say we're just about done. That was the last box to be brought in."

Kagome sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "I hate unpacking."

Inuyasha chuckled. "This is the last room," he reminded her. "Besides, shouldn't this be the one you're most excited about?"

A smile broke onto Kagome's face. "Yeah, you're right. I actually _want_ to unpack this one."

Kagome's phone dinged from her dress pocket. Upon checking it, she found a text from Sango.

 **We're picking up the cake and then we'll be headed your way!**

After typing a quick reply, Kagome put her phone back in her pocket.

"Miroku and Sango will be here soon," she informed Inuyasha. Inuyasha let go of Kagome and gently pulled her out of the nursery.

"You sure Sango is gonna make it?" he asked as they made their way to the kitchen. "It seems like she's about to pop any second."

Kagome lightly swatted him. "Don't let her hear you say that!" she scolded. "It's her and Miroku's third kid. Sango knows her limits. If she says she's fine to come, then she'll be fine."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Whatever you say," he conceded. "At least I'll have Miroku to bond with over moody, pregnant wives."

Rolling her eyes, Kagome smirked at him. "You meant _beautiful_ moody, pregnant wives, right?"

Inuyasha motioned for her to sit down at the table as he pulled out some light snacks for the party. He had to admit that the size of their fridge and kitchen was way more convenient than the tiny kitchenettes from their hotel suites.

After they got married, Inuyasha had moved into Kagome's suite with her. For a while, it was perfectly fine. They had enough room and they were content. It wasn't until she got pregnant that they decided they should find a place that was big enough for two adults and a baby.

They'd briefly talked about Inuyasha switching careers shortly after he and Kagome had gotten engaged, but he'd grown to love the hotel just as much as Kagome did. Myoga had started relinquishing some of the higher-up duties, so Inuyasha was promoted shortly after his and Kagome's wedding. It wasn't a shocker when Myoga announced his plans to retire and pass the hotel reins to Kagome.

They'd offered to host Myoga's retirement party at their new house, so they'd been in a bit of a scramble to get everything unpacked. They'd left the nursery as the final room so as not to feel rushed as they excitedly got everything prepared for their baby.

A knock came at the door as Inuyasha was finishing the food prep. Kagome went to answer it; Inuyasha knew it was Miroku and Sango immediately from the excited chatter.

He chuckled quietly as he went to greet their guests.

When Inuyasha entered the room, he saw Kagome and Sango doing their usual pregnant greeting.

"Baby bump bump!" they said in unison as they gently touched their stomachs together.

"If you bump too hard then you'll pop those kids right out," Inuyasha announced as he took in the sight.

"Hey, now," Sango warned. "Just because you're my best friend's baby daddy doesn't mean you can-"

"Sango, my darling, try to relax," Miroku cooed as he grinned at Inuyasha. The twin toddlers settled in his arms began to reach out for the silver-haired man.

"Hair man!" they shouted. "Hairbrush!" Miroku grimaced.

"I told them no," Miroku said. He eyed his daughters. "Girls, Daddy said no hairbrushing today, remember?"

Instead of trying to wear down their father, they turned to Inuyasha.

"Please, Inu-Inu?" they asked. Inuyasha wasn't a softie, but those eyes…

"Alright, fine," he said. "I'll go grab my-"

"I have one," Kagome said as she reached into her pocket for a travel-size hairbrush. She handed it to one of the twins as they shrieked excitedly. "You have to share, though."

Inuyasha eyed his wife. "Kinda weird that you had a hairbrush in your pocket."

Kagome shrugged. "I knew you wouldn't say no to them, so I came prepared." They all laughed.

"Where should I put the cake?" Sango asked as she referred to the box in her arms. Kagome led her to the kitchen to start prepping the dessert for Myoga's party.

When the two women were gone, Miroku passed his twins to Inuyasha.

They excitedly passed the brush back and forth as they took turns brushing the long, silver hair.

"Your baby is going to be very lucky to have you," Miroku teased. "You're good at being...primped."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Primped or just getting my hair yanked out? Hopefully she won't yank on it too much." Miroku motioned to the girls in Inuyasha's arms.

"I think the twins have prepared you for that," he joked. "Sango and I can hardly feel it when they yank on our hair. Your head starts to go numb after a while."

Wincing as the twins yanked at knot, Inuyasha grimaced but didn't try to hide his amusement. "I think I'm starting to get there."

When the doorbell rang again, Kagome came out of the kitchen to answer it as Inuyasha got settled on the couch with the twins.  
As Kagome walked past him to the front door, she couldn't help the burst of love that pulsed in her heart. Seeing him sitting there holding the two children made her all the more excited to see their own baby in his arms.

After all of the party guests arrived, the celebration began.

It was almost too difficult for Inuyasha to keep his eyes off of Kagome as she laughed and enjoyed the evening.

Man, did he love her.

Later that night, as they lay in their bed with new, clean sheets, Inuyasha reflected on everything that had happened.

He felt Kagome's hand gently settle on his chest in a calming gesture.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You're pretty quiet." Inuyasha shook his head and turned to face her.

"Nothing," he replied as he moved a hand to rub her pregnant belly. "Just thinking."

Kagome smiled. "Thinking again? Penny for your thoughts?"

Inuyasha focused on the soft roundness under his hand. "I'm happy," he finally said. "I'm just completely, wholeheartedly, ridiculously happy."

Kagome laughed and moved to lay her head on his chest. "I'm glad," she murmured against his skin. "So am I."

They lay there quietly for a while longer, alternating from feeling the baby bump to trying to guess what their daughter would be like.

"She could grow up to be an astronaut," Kagome suggested with a yawn.

Inuyasha scoffed goodnaturedly. "If she's anything like you, she'll want to take over the hotel eventually."

Kagome laughed. "You're right. Maybe it's genetic."

Inuyasha placed a soft kiss on her head before ruffling her bangs in his usual affectionate gesture.

Kagome fell asleep soon after, her breaths evening out into a steady rhythm. Her gentle heartbeat thumped against him as she slept.

He couldn't help but wrap his arms around her a little tighter. The scent of her washed over his senses as he drifted off.

Many years and two kids later, Inuyasha walked into the hotel to see his oldest daughter already working the front desk. With her dark, wavy hair and bright golden eyes, she was the perfect blend between Inuyasha and Kagome.

When she smiled, she favored Kagome.

As Inuyasha walked over to her to greet her, she smiled her Kagome-smile, and Inuyasha felt a beautiful sense of dejavu.

Everything had come full-circle, and Kagome and Inuyasha wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

FIN.

I can't believe it's over! I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'll be going back at some point to fix some minor errors, but nothing about the plot will change. Also, I racked my mind for what Inuyasha's secret ramen ingredient would be. I actually put sugar in ramen for that exact purpose, and it's actually pretty good ;)

Thank you so much to those that have been following during the last year-and-a-half. This story turned into a gigantic monster fic that I totally wasn't expecting to erupt from my keyboard, but it was such a blast to write. Thank you for reading!

Much love.


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